Local MP slams SNP for dragging feet on broadband
Banff and Buchan MP David Duguid has slammed the SNP Government for the lack of progress on rolling out superfast broadband to rural Scotland after figures released yesterday [30 August 2022] showed rural Scotland had the lowest growth of superfast broadband access in the nine months to January 2022.
Information released by the UK Government as part of its Gigabit Delivery Plan showed that rural roll out of full fibre internet in Scotland increased by just 4% in the 9 months to January 2022, nearly half the UK average rollout growth for the same period.
In Duguid’s constituency of Banff and Buchan, superfast broadband (over 30Mbps) access stands at around 85% compared to 95% for the whole of Scotland and 98% for the whole UK.
In 2017, the SNP Government announced the R100 programme to rollout broadband to 100% of premises in Scotland, promised to be completed by 2021.
However, Scottish Government ministers announced in early 2020 that it would be 6 years behind schedule, completing in 2027.
And now, rural communities are being ‘let down’ as the SNP preside over the slowest rollout in the UK.
Commenting on the latest failure, David said:
“These latest figures are a stark reminder of the SNP government leaving rural Scotland behind.
“The SNP boasted five years ago that they should be in charge of rollout and took control of it from Westminster.
“Now it’s rural areas like in Banff and Buchan that are suffering because the SNP cannot deliver for Scotland.
“Rural areas are being let down and left behind as the SNP instead focus on ever faster speeds for the fast and forget about those still waiting for speeds even approaching 10Mbps.
“The SNP need to step up or step aside!”