Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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As I said, when the decision was made in the 1990s, I was one of those who questioned whether it was right for the State to own a company like that. I am making this point in a non-partisan manner because there have been many debates over who owns what. The point that we do not own the existing network is fundamental to understanding the difficulties that we have in extending it. That, in turn, influences the question regarding the value of owning an extension.

With regard to the effect on the cost, the biggest effect is the decision to have 100% coverage. If anyone wants to find a credible way to proceed at a lower cost, it involves excluding significant numbers of people from the coverage area and explaining to them why they should not receive the service. If the Government had done that or if I had recommended that the Government do it, I would now be facing questions, understandably, on the number of people who will not be benefitting from the roll-out of high-speed broadband. I may not have emphasised when answering questions from Deputies Lahart and Cowen that I fundamentally believe that, in 20 years' time, the connectivity we are debating here today will be used in ways to deliver public services that are not apparent to us now.

I believe it will form an essential part of what citizenship might look like or, if that is overstating it, it will form an essential part of what accessing public services will look like in the future.