Bobby Aylward (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is late in the evening so I shall ask a few quick questions. As the Secretary General has said, technology is improving and modernising all the time. A few reports have claimed that fibre optic technology might be obsolete in a few years time and we should consider satellite technology, wireless technology or some other technology. Earlier the Secretary General spoke, in response to questions asked by my colleagues, about how much it will cost to roll out the scheme. He mentioned the cost associated with renting 1.1 million poles, the extra cost for the additional 200,000 poles that will need to be erected, plus the cost of wiring all of them. Has he considered whether the technology is future proofed? Will satellite technology be the answer in five years time? Would other technologies be cheaper in five years time?