Communities struggling in broadband slow lane

Communities across Courier Country are still struggling in the broadband slow lane.

Its regions boast, conversely, some of Scotland’s most impressive and most anaemic access to high speed internet access.

Homes and businesses across Perth and Kinross continue to bemoan their lot, with just 71.82% having access to superfast services.

The lack of top-level connectivity has long been blamed for stifling rural enterprise and for making communities less attractive places to live.

The continued problems being experienced by residents across the area will be raised at a meeting of Perth and Kinross Council’s strategic policy and resources committee this week.

By contrast, residents in neighbouring Stirling can call upon some of the country’s most widespread access to high speed broadband, with coverage now at 89.85%.

That is significantly in excess of the Scottish average of 82.47%.

In 2003, Dundee boasted the nation’s worst broadband access – considerably worse than even the Western Isles – but significant strides have been made since then.

The city now boasts 85.73% broadband access, while Aberdeenshire is just behind at 84.12%.

Like Perth and Kinross, however, there remains significant work to be done in Fife and Angus, where many residents are still awaiting improved services.

The two regions boast just 78.62% and 81.96% access to superfast services respectively.

The ongoing issues facing some communities have been raised in Westminster, where the Conservative MP for Ochil and South Perthshire, Luke Graham, described the broadband situation as a national scandal.

He has challenged the SNP administration’s performance over the roll out of rural broadband in Scotland.

“The UK Government defines superfast broadband as 24Mbps, yet average download speed in Ochil and South Perthshire is only 19Mbps.

“This puts Ochil and South Perthshire as the worst 4% of broadband coverage in the whole of the UK.”

So slow or tricky is the introduction of broadband access in some communities that local people have taken it into their own hands to create schemes capable of delivering faster internet speeds.

Earlier this month, the UK Government made additional funding available to Scottish councils to boost broadband improvements.