Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Before I bring in Deputy Kerrane, I wish to clarify that the default approach under the national broadband plan is fibre to the home for every home. Only where it is prohibitively expensive should an alternative be looked at. In the case of the islands, to have a high-speed connection on the mainland requires a cable to be brought to the mast. This means it is just as cheap to bring the cable undersea to the islands as it is to put another mast on the islands to distribute that network throughout the islands. Both trees and rainwater have an impact on wireless connections and there is no shortage of either in this country at the moment. I expect that we are looking at a fibre connection for our islands. Senator Garvey asked what one thing the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, could do at the moment. I know from talking to the island communities that getting the fibre out to the islands is the single biggest priority and would change the whole dynamic of the economy there.