A lack of announcements regarding the National Broadband Plan has prompted speculation it could be delayed.

According to wide reports, the government was set to sign the contract for the plan today, 13 November, but no news has been released as yet.

Minister for Communications Richard Bruton has come under pressure to provide clarity on the status of the plan.

Fianna Fáil representative Jack Chambers TD said: "The National Broadband Plan has lurched from one delay to another since its announcement. It is hardly surprising that the government should miss yet another target for the plan. However, the nature of these latest delays is deeply concerning and potentially risks setting the plan back to a significant degree.

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"As it stands, no commercial operator will be able to roll out broadband in the intervention area once the contract is signed. However, several operators have already announced plans to roll out broadband on a commercial basis. These include fibre, 5G and other wireless solutions.

"Both legal challenges and changes to the intervention area could set the plan back months or even years. If these commercial rollouts are blocked or run alongside a subsidised network, considerable state aid issues arise, and the state could be fined or face legal challenge. If the government allows these commercial rollouts to continue, the size for the intervention area could be greatly reduced.

"The Minister needs to urgently clarify whether he had planned to sign the contract on the 12th of November. Further, he needs to urgently explain how he believes that these issues can be resolved before the end of this year," concluded Deputy Chambers.

(CM/JG)