Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 December 2021
45. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the cost within the National Broadband Plan for the use of the infrastructure of Eir over the duration of the contract. [61451/21]
View answerThe National Broadband Plan (NBP) State led Intervention will be delivered by National Broadband Ireland (NBI) under a contract to roll out a high speed and future proofed broadband network within the Intervention Area which covers 1.1 million people living and working in the over 554,000 premises, including almost 100,000 businesses and farms along with some 679 primary schools.
All bidders as part of the original NBP tender were required to put forward a solution that maximised the use of existing infrastructure such as poles and ducts, pole infrastructure and towers, and masts located throughout the State. The solution proposed by NBI involved predominantly re-using the eir pole and duct infrastructure.
The NBP has been designed to ensure that as much as possible of the network infrastructure will comprise the re-use of existing poles and ducts which NBI will lease from existing infrastructure owners. Infrastructure re-use in this manner ensures the State complies with State Aid Guidelines and environmental sustainability best practice.
As part of the final contract tender National Broadband Ireland included some €900m for infrastructure rental of which circa €800m is forecast to be paid to eir for the rental of poles and ducts over 25 years. These rental charges are fully regulated by ComReg. In the event that there are any price reductions during the 25 years of the NBP Contract, the State will recoup 100% of any reductions to such rentals.
