North-east digital connectivity milestone hailed
OVER 120,000 premises in Moray and Aberdeenshire have been connected to fibre-based broadband, it has been revealed.
MSP for Banffshire and Buchan Coast Karen Adam has welcomed that 88,693 premises in Aberdeenshire and 34,026 in Moray have been connected to fibre-based broadband thanks to £1 billion of investment from the SNP Scottish Government.
The £463 million Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) programme, which launched in 2014, has connected over 950,600 premises in Scotland to fibre-based broadband – over 150,000 more than originally anticipated.
In addition, the £600 million Reaching 100 per cent (R100) programme is rolling out connections in some of the country’s most challenging rural locations, including in Banffshire and Buchan Coast.
The local SNP MSP has said that this landmark achievement has been vital for improving digital connectivity in her constituency and creating new and enhanced opportunities in this community for education, employment, and leisure.
She went on to say that Independent analysis has also shown that the programme is delivering £12 of benefits to the economy for every £1 of public funding.
Ms Adam commented: “I welcome that 122,791 premises in Aberdeenshire & Moray have been connected to fibre-based broadband thanks to direct investment from the SNP Scottish Government and its £463 million Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) programme.
“Thanks to SNP action, over 950,600 premises across Scotland now have access to fibre-based broadband – delivering for both the community and the economy.
“We know how essential fast and reliable broadband is for both households and businesses in our day-to-day lives, and this ambitious programme underlines the Scottish Government’s commitment to improving digital connectivity and growing economy in our rural communities.”
Wellbeing Economy Secretary Mairi McAllan added: “Fast and reliable broadband has never been so important: it is an increasingly vital tool for everything from work and leisure, healthcare and education.
“This is precisely why the Scottish Government has prioritised investment in digital connectivity in the 2024-25 Budget. Indeed, despite telecoms being reserved, we have now committed to investing more than £650 million across the DSSB and R100 programmes, recognising that faster broadband is a key building block for a green and growing economy.
“Enabling more than one million connections to faster broadband is a landmark achievement in delivering this vision, and we are fully committed to ensuring as many people as possible can benefit from the advantages of future-proofed digital infrastructure to run businesses and services across the country.”
