Further boosts for English and Scottish broadband projects
Further boosts for English and Scottish broadband projects
The man who headed the organisation of the London 2012 Olympics has been appointed to spearhead the Government’s Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) programme.
Chris Townsend, the former commercial director of the London Olympics organising committee will lead the roll-out of superfast broadband in the £20,000 a year post. The appointment comes after the Government shifted its targets and deadlines for the roll-out and was criticised over the lack of competition in the process.
Culture Secretary Maria Miller is reported to be “determined” to ensure there is more competition as the final 10 per cent of the roll-out is put out for tender. So far, BT has won every available contract in the Government-backed programme.
Meanwhile, Scotland’s roll-out is gathering pace with a further 39,000 businesses and domestic properties now in line for fibre optic broadband. The Digital Scotland partnership, which receives public money to fund the initiative, has announced that a further 13 local authority areas are to receive the superfast connections. In some places, people will be able to access broadband for the first time while others will see their networks upgraded.
The first to benefit will be in the Highlands and Islands, including Moray and Inverness-shire, the BBC reported. The areas to receive superfast broadband for the first time include Castle Douglas, Melrose, Bridge of Allan and Scone.
Scottish Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: "The scale of the challenge of delivering fibre broadband into rural Scotland is greater than any other part of the UK and indeed, much of Europe.
"It's fantastic news that many rural communities and businesses, from the Highlands to the Borders, will soon begin to see the benefits of high quality digital connectivity, making them more economically viable in the long term."
Scotland’s local authority organisation Cosla, which also funds Digital Scotland, said the move was the starting point in narrowing the digital divide between those living in towns and those in the countryside.
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