Rural homes to benefit from superfast broadband

A total of £440 million of funding has been unlocked by the UK government to give properties in hard-to-reach parts of Scotland and the rest of the UK quick and reliable internet connections. It means streaming music or films, which is the norm for city locations, will also be available in remote locations.

The UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport said careful contract management by government, local authorities and BT has saved more than £150 million in 44 projects in the first phase of the broadband expansion.

Scotland is to receive a £17.8m share of the funding.

UK government minister for Scotland, Andrew Dunlop, said the extra investment would connect even more Scottish homes and businesses.

He said: “Good connectivity is essential for the way we live our lives - whether that is doing business, teaching our children, or paying our bills.

“The UK government is committed to delivering faster, better broadband for Scotland, and this extra £18m of investment will connect even more Scottish homes and businesses.

“It is imperative Scotland gets the technology it needs for the future, which is why the UK government has already spent £120m rolling out reliable broadband across Scotland, supporting families and helping businesses thrive.”

Scottish cabinet secretary for rural economy and connectivity, Fergus Ewing, said the Scottish Government was committed to delivering 100 per cent broadband coverage for Scotland by the end of the current parliament in 2021.

He added: “The Scottish Government is aware that broadband is key to many aspects of rural life and, despite inaction from the UK government which retains many of the powers in this area, we have been working for a substantial period of time to ensure sufficient coverage for every community in Scotland.

“We are already investing £410m to extend access to fibre broadband to 95 per cent of premises in Scotland by the end of next year through our Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme.

“Commercial coverage alone would only have delivered 66 per cent.”

Mr Ewing said his government would announce further measures in the New Year.