Press Release
“Handling of broadband plan has left us between a rock and a hard place,” Mattie McGrath
21-08-2019
Independent TD Mattie McGrath has said that he welcomes the recommendation of the Oireachtas Committee on Communications to retain the proposed broadband network infrastructure in public ownership. Deputy McGrath went on to say however that because of the farcical handling of the National Broadband Plan, people in rural Ireland are being asked to choose between further delays to the implementation of the NBP and a risk to the state losing the capacity to acquire hundreds of millions of euro worth of infrastructure:
“The majority of the Committee clearly decided that on balance it would be best to retain the network infrastructure in public ownership. That is a principle I certainly agree with.
My concern is however that the time required to renegotiate the entire process in order to assure that outcome may leave hundreds of thousands in rural Ireland without a broadband connection.
We know that in Tipperary alone there are about 30,000 homes and premises waiting to be connected at a budget of €119 million.
As things stand however, the entire project seems to be collapsing into even greater uncertainty especially given the unwillingness of the Fine Gael members of the Committee to support the public ownership model.
That is why I also support the committee’s recommendation for the Government to re-engage with the ESB in order to comprehensively reassess its ability to deliver the project.
Without fast and efficient broadband speed, this government is ensuring that rural Ireland will be condemned to exist and operate in a two-tier economy where the very capacity to do simple commercial or everyday tasks will continue to be seriously hampered.
From what we know so far, the report is saying Granahan McCourt, as the preferred bidder will recoup its money within seven to eight years and retain full ownership, while the State will have invested almost €3 billion with no ownership rights.
That is not a position I think most ordinary people would accept as reasonable or prudent,” concluded Deputy McGrath.
ENDS
21-08-2019
Independent TD Mattie McGrath has said that he welcomes the recommendation of the Oireachtas Committee on Communications to retain the proposed broadband network infrastructure in public ownership. Deputy McGrath went on to say however that because of the farcical handling of the National Broadband Plan, people in rural Ireland are being asked to choose between further delays to the implementation of the NBP and a risk to the state losing the capacity to acquire hundreds of millions of euro worth of infrastructure:
“The majority of the Committee clearly decided that on balance it would be best to retain the network infrastructure in public ownership. That is a principle I certainly agree with.
My concern is however that the time required to renegotiate the entire process in order to assure that outcome may leave hundreds of thousands in rural Ireland without a broadband connection.
We know that in Tipperary alone there are about 30,000 homes and premises waiting to be connected at a budget of €119 million.
As things stand however, the entire project seems to be collapsing into even greater uncertainty especially given the unwillingness of the Fine Gael members of the Committee to support the public ownership model.
That is why I also support the committee’s recommendation for the Government to re-engage with the ESB in order to comprehensively reassess its ability to deliver the project.
Without fast and efficient broadband speed, this government is ensuring that rural Ireland will be condemned to exist and operate in a two-tier economy where the very capacity to do simple commercial or everyday tasks will continue to be seriously hampered.
From what we know so far, the report is saying Granahan McCourt, as the preferred bidder will recoup its money within seven to eight years and retain full ownership, while the State will have invested almost €3 billion with no ownership rights.
That is not a position I think most ordinary people would accept as reasonable or prudent,” concluded Deputy McGrath.
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