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The Irish Independent said the main bidder of the national broadband plan (NBP) was preparing to "speed up" rural connections next year.
This decision would mean that the first of 540,000 rural households and enterprises under the state-sponsored program would benefit from high-speed broadband in 2019, ahead of the planned launch in 2020.
A report allowed former Communications Minister Denis Naughten and David McCourt to unduly affect the state 's bidding process for the project. giant infrastructure.
However, the report of independent auditor Peter Smyth also revealed that Mr. Naughten was right to resign last month to isolate the process of "apparent bias".
It is now giving the go-ahead to the government to conclude negotiations with the rural broadband consortium for the signing of a contract in the next two months. The deployment to half a million rural households is about to begin and is expected to begin the first connections by the end of next year, according to several sources.
A contract is expected to be signed in January, with the cost of the grant and other contractual terms to be finalized in the coming weeks.
Mr. Naughten urged politicians from all parties to move this plan forward.
He noted that the rules underpinning the NBP do not "expressly prohibit commitments" between bidders and the Ministry.
But as the government insisted that the NBP was in good health, Fianna Fáil was considering her next move. The party has already indicated that the issue would be an important part of the ongoing confidence and supply negotiations.
Its spokesman, Timmy Dooley, in charge of communication, said that the review had left "unanswered" some "serious questions".
Mr. Smyth's report also indicated that, even though the project could go forward, it was not possible to affirm "unequivocally" that the NBP had not been discussed at private meetings.
"Due to the limitations of the review process, in the absence of official minutes or meeting notes for a number of meetings, I rely on the statements of the former Minister, Mr. McCourt and others to verify the purpose and content of these meetings. , "Says the report.
However, he concluded, "I am satisfied that neither the former minister nor Mr. McCourt have had the opportunity to influence the course of the appeal process." Offers in favor of Granahan McCourt or otherwise.
"I also think that the former minister's decision to resign, thus withdrawing from the process, isolates the process from any apparent bias created by his relationship with Mr. McCourt."
The government maintains that it has put in place a "parallel process" to evaluate Granahan McCourt's candidacy during the audit.
The plan is essentially to physically install broadband fiber optic lines in areas of the country that have never received adequate Internet services. However, up to 50,000 homes in the most remote areas could be equipped with the latest wireless technology. New 5G cellular networks should not be a factor, even if they are currently activated in cities.
However, the existing deployment plan faces a technical challenge from Eir, the largest operator in the state refusing to grant access to its network at a price below the conventional commercial rate. This had already provoked a dispute between Granahan McCourt, Eir and officials of the Department of Communication. The issue was parked earlier this year, but should be reactivated once the contract is signed.
Opposition parties wondered how the deployment of high speed broadband could take place under the current plan.
Fianna Fáil manager Micheál Martin described the level of contact between Naughten and consortium president Granahan McCourt as extraordinary.
The Minister had 18 formal meetings, nine phone calls and five dinners with David McCourt.
"For me, this is an unprecedented set of commitments in terms of the tendering process, ministerial commitment with a lead bidder," Martin told Dáil.
Mr. Dooley told the Irish Independent: "Well before the meetings, I felt that the process had been compromised. The fact that so many bidders have withdrawn proves it.
"We are now in a situation where the review indicates that he was not contaminated, but that the minister was right to resign."
Mr. Dooley indicated that he wanted Mr. Smyth to appear before the Oireachtas Communications Committee to discuss "gaps" in the review.
Labor Party leader Brendan Howlin said it would be "reckless" for the government to follow through on this plan.
However, Communications Minister Richard Bruton has expressed a new confidence in the possibility of carrying out the plan.
A Taoiseach spokesman said that he considered the report as "a partial or nuanced justification" for the position he had taken when the details of the meetings had been unveiled.
Irish independent
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