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OPPOSITION TDS HAVE expressed concerns over the length of time it will take for broadband to be rolled out to homes, businesses and schools in rural Ireland, with the plan being strongly criticised from some quarters.
Cabinet yesterday signed off on the National Broadband Plan, which aims to bring high-speed internet to more than 540,000 homes, farms and businesses across rural Ireland.
The approval comes after a long and controversial process aiming to get broadband to rural areas. The plan was first announced by the then-Fine Gael-Labour government in 2012.
Since then, it has been beset by delays and setbacks, including the withdrawal of Eir and rival broadband infrastructure giant Siro, a joint venture between Vodafone and ESB, from the bidding process.
US-based investment firm Granahan McCourt is the only firm still vying for the contract for the project, which it plans to build with a group of subcontractors.
A contract had been expected to be awarded last year, with then communications minister Denis Naughten – who eventually quit his ministerial post over a series of controversial meetings with Granahan McCourt chief David McCourt.
Now, it is expected that the rollout will start later this year. The government said that the majority of properties will be connected over the next five years, but that it will take seven years – until 2026 – for all the properties to be connected.
This timeline – and the high cost of the rollout, which is multiples more than was first mooted – has been strongly criticised by opposition figures.
“A disgrace”
Roscommon-Leitrim TD Michael Fitzmaurice labelled the timeline a “disgrace”, saying that there was a desperate need for broadband in rural areas.
“They’re after saying that it’s going to take up to seven years to connect – the horse will have bolted by that time,” he said.
I don’t welcome that part of it at all… We want to see broadband if they’re going ahead of it and it’s a disgrace that it will take years before anything comes.
Fianna Fáil communications spokesperson Timmy Dooley also criticised the plan.
“Fine Gael is now promising to deliver broadband to a third less houses, taking three times longer and costing six times the original price, and to make it worse the state won’t own the network built with €3 billion of taxpayers money,” he tweeted.
Cost
Sinn Féin’s communications spokesperson Brian Stanley also criticised the project, saying that government needed to provide answers as to why it would cost so much.
The cost to the State is €2.97 billion. This price includes VAT and a contingency fund. The majority will be paid in the first 10 years, although payment will be made over 25 years.
“This Government is now costing the taxpayer billions of Euros. The cost overrun in the National Broadband Plan is set to be bigger than the one at the National Children’s Hospital,” he said.
“We cannot continue to treat taxpayers’ money in this way. It is unacceptable, and we must get to the bottom of how this came about.
I am calling on Minister Bruton to appear before the Dáil this week to answer questions about the plan.
Speaking yesterday, Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment Richard Bruton said the investment will have a “transformative effect on rural Ireland” and will future-proof communities for generations to come.
With reporting from Christina Finn and Peter Bodkin
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Our current bunch of politicians are so bad that if they needed to change a lightbulb, it’d probably take years to get it done and it would probably cost the state thousands of taxpayers money.
@Adrian: Current? This debacle has been going on for more then a decade…
@Adrian: 7 years is a disgrace. So is €3bn for this. You would swear we are providing broadband for the whole of Europe.
€3bn. Just think about that. Then I think about my elderly parents who will have to wait on a trolley in hallway in a hospital (happened recently) because there are not enough beds.
Imagine that. €3bn to give people internet. It’s a stupid amount of money.
@Eugene Tyson: the Internet is as valuable as electricity in many households. Many people smarter than you have spent years coming up with the most optimal way to afford it to people. 3bn is not a lot of money at all for something people will probably still be utilising in 100 years time. We give 3bn a year to the ECB to burn. Imagine the cost benefits alone of giving people the option to move out of Dublin and into rural Internet blackspots.
Yep,, takes time to spend such enormous amounts from trough. .. Election propaganda..
In 7 years technology will have surpassed this waste.. FFG out..
@Willy: if denis obrien got the contract that’s likely the plan. By the time it’s completed, it’ll have to be upgraded, ensuring him many more millions. Just like the second hand water meters
@Willy: fibre will be surpassed you don’t know much about networks do you 5g will definitely be surpassed in 7 years though.
@Willy:
150 mbps min download speed rising to 500mbps.
to be fair thats pretty good.
@Bill Clay: he didn’t get it …
@Willy: You think that in 7 years a technology will have surfaced that can get past the limitations set by the speed of light ? Look into how data transmission over optical cable works, then let us know what you think could work better.
The cynic in me thinks the government low balled all other telecomms companies to make them drop out and then have their preferred company get it and suddenly have billions of euro to do it.
@Charles McGuire:
Or m/be Gov just wanted to give Eir and it’s s/holders a lift with l/term biz for its n/wide pole infrastructure. Eir is massively in debt, and losing core biz as folks dump their l/lines. A bskt case was never going to secure NBP contract. Hence new plan involving a VC including; smart mgmt team;fresh risk capital; future-proof tech(500mbps);manageable gov dribble towards cable costs to completion over 7/ 10 /25 years;lifeline to old chestnut Eircom’s current incarnation Eir with its ailing underutilized infrastructure.
T/coms not a sector suitable for nationalization: remember Bord Telecom & its punitive annual subventions! VC involved here will pull all strands of Strategic Plan together, and in time sell off or float…V. Good Plan imho from Ire Inc perspective.
Big news of the rural BB Rollout right before the election. Pull the other one you disgraceful sack of bleeps. There will be a convenient further delay after elections are over.
Am deeply suspicious of the way this project has been reconstructed to give the lead development contract to an offshore corporate entity, with no prior form in the technology, & with a sub contracting policy to engage the ESB & Eir networks, when they disengaged from the tendering process. The latter after cherry picking the original target market in mid stream, by agreement with the state!
If the state was able to structure the rural electrification via ESB, & deal with the property collapse via NAMA, why could we not have legislated for a rural broadband infrastructure similarly, without the involvement of an offshore front company which will simply bleed off profits & sell off the assets after building it with our 3 billion?
The Irish taxpayer is being screwed again.
There are many reasons to vote out FG in future elections. This one would suffice, even though there are bigger, more urgent issues.
So do that, consign them to history.
But for everyone’s sake, don’t put their FFecking siblings back in!
And take in a load of guys from the UK to do the work because the Irish telecom lads left the country while the government are trying to make up there mind so frustrated wit it
Spending 3 billion and we wont even own the infrastructure like we own the electrical grid. A pack of nut jobs. And still refusing to put the country’s water supply into the constitution.
This is a country where public debt is third highest in world. with fifty five billi0n to the EU under terms of a loan not even laid before dail for its approval cos in minister opinion it was none of dail business so all the deal invlving taxpayer money behind closed doors no accountability to the DAIL that come back to us?
No contract signed. Voter have chance to tell public reps before a CONTRACT IS SIGNED we want DAIL involved in this contract and executive to be accountable to the dail on it who ( DAIL td ) come back to us for votes .
No accountability to dail for cost of IBRC liquidation or nama dealing at taxpayer expenses and cost cos TD accept min opinion that the terms of that loan none of dail business?
Am deeply suspicious of the way this project has been reconstructed to give the lead development contract to an offshore corporate entity, with no prior form in the technology, & with a sub contracting policy to engage the ESB & Eirgrid networks, when they disengaged from the tendering process. The latter after cherry picking the original target market in mid stream, by agreement with the state!
If the state was able to structure the rural electrification via ESB, & deal with the property collapse via NAMA, why could we not have legislated for a rural broadband infrastructure similarly, without the involvement of an offshore front company which will simply bleed off profits & sell off the assets after building it with our 3 billion?
The Irish taxpayer is being screwed again.
As if FF where any different. Would call them a bunch of clowns but we are the fools for having FFG
Once bitten, twice shy. This seems to be promised every few years. It inevitably fails and is rehashed a few years later before an election. They must think we are all stupid.
@Darren Doyle McCormack: with good reason they think that, seeing as they get re-elected decade after decade.
And sadly, for a few more to come
@Bill Clay: Exactly, its beyond getting angry with those in power now .. The blame should be aimed at the dumb zombie voters who keep putting them there , those voters are costing this country billions
It will take alot longer than 7years theres not even a contract signed and when thats done the subcontractors have to sign , lucky if its started by this time next year..
3 billion for internet
3 billion for kids hospital
What’s next and where will the money come from?
In the meantime citizens have nowhere to live?
It’s all wrong wrong wrong!
@Rodney Williams: The 3billion for the metro is actually 5bn but don’t tell anyone… Whos surprised.. This government will cost the taxpayer between 2-5billion extra in mismanagement of big project tenders..
Bye bye 3 billion
We never saw you at all
All pipes and poles are already there
We have just p#ssed you up the wall
Yet another dail debate that will end up with no change at the end of the day. The only place to change anything is on election day and I doubt any of you will remember the failings of both FG and FF… One or other of them will be returned into government and the only lesson they’ll learn is that they can do whatever they like…
I wonder why no one is on here talking about the dangers to our health that 5g will cause, it’s been banned in some countries & we don’t seem to be addressing that!
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