James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I apologise for interrupting but I want to make a pressing point about a concern I have. I am a rural Deputy and I grew up and live in a rural area. We are living in an intervention area and as it stands, the contractors are working in my region. A point must be made and I did so on the site visit. When it comes to telecommunications and access to broadband, phone coverage can be a major problem. Something I would like to see incorporated in some degree or fashion, now that we are well into the process of rolling out the NBP, is looking at this matter, particularly for those homes that may be waiting until the end of 2026 to be connected. That is a huge amount of time, a potential four-year wait for people to receive broadband to their homes and getting that direct connection for which the State is paying a very significant amount through State aid.

That point must be made and the Department must take it under consideration. It must decide if there is scope to work with NBI to try to deliver some degree of value for taxpayers who will not see the benefit of this intervention for up to and over four years. Is that something that could be considered? From discussions I have had with people with some degree of expertise in the area, it seems this issue could be solved for well under €1 billion.