Broadband key to productivity, Scottish MP says
Having access to fast broadband speeds is essential for businesses and residents to work productively, one Scottish MP has said.
Alistair Carmichael, the only Liberal Democrat MP to win a seat in Scotland in May's General Election, has warned that at present a lack of access to superfast broadband along with poor mobile phone coverage remain the biggest barriers to productivity. He made the comments as the UK government prepared for the release of its broadband plans over the next decade.
The published government report stated that 40,000 premises around the UK were gaining access to superfast broadband every week. As such, it is confident of achieving its goal of getting 95 per cent of British properties connected to superfast broadband, delivering speeds of at least 24Mbps.
However, according to Mr Carmichael, it is the remaining five per cent that must be focused on, with many of these properties being located in the remote regions of the Scottish Highlands and Islands, The Press and Journal reported.
He said: “There needs to be greater effort to identify these houses that are not going to be met with the current scheme and see what can be done.
“For the Highlands and Islands, this is the single most important piece of infrastructure that will increase productivity, growth and economic activity – along with mobile phone coverage and getting 3G and 4G coverage to the Highlands and Islands.”
The MP for Orkney and Shetland added that although a lot of money had been invested in improving broadband infrastructure in these places, the roll out by BT and Highland and Islands Enterprise (HIE) had been "frustratingly slow". An HIE spokesman said that although progress was slow because of the scale of the project, the organisation remains on target to have completed the roll out by 2016.
Almost all businesses today need reliable, superfast broadband, which is not always available in their area, so getting a dedicated leased line for the premises can be the best solution. hSo provides managed networks designed for business - to get an instant cost for a leased line at your location, visit our online leased line price checker.
(Image: Liberal Democrats, Flickr)
