Extra £36m for rural broadband programme
The Scottish and UK Governments have announced plans to increase funding in a delayed rural broadband programme by £36 million.
The cash, the Scottish Government said, will help to connect a further 2,637 rural properties to the internet with speeds of up to 1,000 megabits per second.
Initial commitments as part of the scheme pledged to increase speeds to 30 megabits per second.
Contracts as part of the Reaching 100 per cent (R100) scheme, which was designed to improve internet connectivity across the country will be expanded as a result of the investment. Some 1,488 properties in Argyll and Bute, the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland will be impacted, while a further 1,149 in Dumfries and Galloway, East Ayrshire, East Lothian, Midlothian, the Borders, South Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire
will also benefit.
The completion of R100 has been delayed to around 2027.
The investment has been divided between Holyrood and Westminster, with the Scottish Government providing £20m and the UK Government chipping in £16m.
Scottish Government business minister Ivan Mckee said: “This latest investment will connect more homes and businesses in Scotland’s rural and island communities to gigabit capable broadband.”