William Eichler 18 August 2016

Holyrood 'must do more' to roll-out broadband, auditors say

The roll-out of high-speed broadband in Scotland is making ‘good progress’, but more needs to be done to extend coverage to rural areas, auditors say.

The Scottish government is committed to ensuring everyone in Scotland is able to access the internet at any time and on any device by 2020. In order to achieve this, in 2013 they paid BT £412m to extend Scotland’s existing fibre broadband network.

Audit Scotland reported 2.2 million out of 2.6 million premises had access to fibre broadband by March 2016 – 1% more than the Scottish government’s original target. They also noted more than 500,000 of these gained access through the BT contracts.

However, the auditors went on to warn the remaining areas are more rural and harder to reach. They said these remote areas are likely to need more complicated and costly engineering solutions before they can get high-speed broadband.

The Scottish government also needs to decide what it intends on doing with the remaining £42m it has for rolling-out broadband, the auditors added.

‘Fast, reliable internet access is increasingly essential for everyday life, so it’s encouraging to see good progress being made in rolling out fibre broadband,’ Caroline Gardner, auditor general for Scotland, said.

‘However, there is a lot still to be done by the Scottish Government if it is to achieve its vision of a world class digital infrastructure, particularly in improving download speeds in rural areas.’

‘It’s important that it continues to monitor the cost and progress of broadband rollout so that these communities aren’t excluded,’ Ms Gardner added.

A report, published by Deloitte last December, found increased digitalisation could add up to £13bn to the Scottish economy.

Responding to this report, deputy first minister John Swinney said: ‘Scotland is already making good progress in digitalisation.

‘We are driving the £410m roll out of superfast broadband across Scotland, supporting businesses and individuals to get online, and working to ensure our people have the right skills to both get online and make a career in the digital sector.’

Making payment processes smarter  image

Making payment processes smarter

It can be challenging to find the right software to streamline payment processes. Lewis McKenna-Crisp argues SmarterPay has the ideal solution for councils.
SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Residential Worker

Essex County Council
£27934.00 - £35344.00 per annum + + 26 Days Leave & Local Gov Pension
Residential WorkerPermanent, Full Time£27,934 up to £35,344 Per Annum (includes allowance) equal to £14.48 to £18.32 Per HourLocation
Recuriter: Essex County Council

Early Years Keyworker

Royal Borough of Greenwich
£37,068 - £38,058
Want to make a difference for children with special educational needs in Greenwich? Greenwich, London (Greater)
Recuriter: Royal Borough of Greenwich

Early Years Area SENCo

Royal Borough of Greenwich
£39,855 - £42,324
Have you got extensive experience in working within Early Years, with a clear understanding of child development Greenwich, London (Greater)
Recuriter: Royal Borough of Greenwich

Young Persons Substance Misuse Service Pathfinder

Royal Borough of Greenwich
£31,524 - £32,931
Are you looking to change the lives of young people? Greenwich, London (Greater)
Recuriter: Royal Borough of Greenwich

Senior Regulatory Compliance Officer

Royal Borough of Greenwich
£37,068 - £38,058
You will be an apprentice embedded within the Trading Standards team. Greenwich, London (Greater)
Recuriter: Royal Borough of Greenwich
Linkedin Banner