Rural Scots leaving to seek faster broadband

RURAL Scotland is suffering a new phenomenon – digital-era depopulation, as people leave remote areas in search of faster internet speeds.

Evidence is emerging of broadband-led migration amid concerns that nearly a fifth of homes in the Highlands and Islands will remain stuck on slower internet speeds, Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead told MSPs yesterday.

Finance Secretary John Swinney has pledged to ensure that 95 per cent of premises have access to superfast broadband by 2018, but some regions will fall short without additional funding, it was claimed.

Mr Lochhead told Holyrood’s rural affairs committee: ‘The Scottish Government is very keen to try to ensure we do all we can to connect our more remote and rural communities to the 21st century.

‘There is now evidence of people leaving rural communities to live in urban areas, so there is rural depopulation due to a lack of connectivity.

‘ While you have had traditional conversations about people leaving rural communities due to lack of access to higher education, affordable housing or employment, now there i s this

‘People moving to urban areas’

added factor – and that should concern us all.’

Highlands and Islands Enterprise expects to achieve at least 84 per cent broadband coverage by 2016 but more funds will be required to go beyond that, the agency’s chief executive Alex Paterson told the committee last week.

Yesterday, the Scottish Government’s deputy director for digital strategy and programmes, Colin Cook, appeared before the committee and said he was lobbying for more resources.

He added that Government broadband contractor BT was confident 95 per cent of Scotland would be connected by 2018, but confirmed some regions would fall short without additional funding.

He told the committee: ‘The biggest issue remains across the Highlands and Islands, which will probably be somewhere in the low 80 per cent range by that time – and that is why we are lobbying for more resources to try to deal with that.’

The Scottish Government would like a share of a £250million UK Government broadband pot and will seek support from local government and the EU to boost speeds further, the committee heard.