Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)

We must be realistic about this argument concerning MANs and the overall deployment of broadband. MANs will eventually be a solution. I do not have the specifics today but many MANs have fibre optics underground and are not live. Some of them certainly do not have backhaul or backbone driving them. That is a serious issue and I require specifics on how many MANs are live.

When MANs become live, they will be a solution for our urban areas. How are we competing in light of international standards already set with respect to next generation broadband? For example, Singapore, Finland and Sweden have up to 50 megabit services in their broadband deployment solutions. How do we compete in terms of public policy intervention? There is public policy intervention in the UK and Ofcom has realised there must be public policy intervention.

I am somewhat disappointed the Minister noted in his preamble that broadband is a matter for the private sector. Broadband is not completely a matter for the private sector and the public sector is also relevant. If we do not have public sector policy intervention, we will never have broadband in rural areas.

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for his patience. Simply put, what confidence can the Minister instill into the Irish electorate, who are trying valiantly to get broadband in rural areas, that the new national broadband scheme which the Minister has massive confidence in will service rural areas? MANs are not the solution.

On a final note——

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