Dáil Éireann Debate, Friday - 6 September 2019
1517. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if the network to be built under the national broadband plan will be in public ownership as recommended by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35715/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn July 2016 the Government selected the gap funded model as the optimum ownership model for the NBP State intervention. The Government considered two ownership models, having narrowed the options from five models.
The NBP State intervention is the subject of the procurement process to engage a company to build, operate and maintain the NBP State intervention network. In May of this year I brought a recommendation to Government to confer Preferred Bidder status on Granahan McCourt, the remaining bidder in the NBP procurement process and Government agreed to this.
The Government Decision means that it is intended to award the State Intervention contract to the Bidder. This award is subject to contract close, including finalisation of financial and legal documents. As the procurement process has been carried out on the basis of a gap-funded model, a change in that model would require a new procurement process.
Work continues on finalising the contract and in parallel to this work, I am considering the recommendations contained in the report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee which was published recently. I will bring my deliberations on the report to Government in due course.
