Aberdeenshire MP slams Scottish Government for lack of progress in superfast broadband roll-out

A LOCAL MP has criticised the SNP for the slow progress in rolling out speedy broadband to rural areas.

Conservative MP David Duguid, who represents Banff and Buchan has criticised the Scottish Government for the lack of progress on rolling out superfast broadband to rural Scotland after figures released last week showed rural Scotland has had the lowest growth of superfast broadband access in the nine months before January 2022.

Information released by the UK Government as part of its Gigabit Delivery Plan showed that rural roll out of full fibre internet in Scotland increased by just 4 percent in the nine months to January 2022, nearly half the UK average roll-out growth for the same period.

In Banff and Buchan, superfast broadband (over 30Mbps) access stands at around 85 percent compared to 95 percent for the whole of Scotland and 98 percent for the whole UK.

Mr Duguid said: “These latest figures are a stark reminder of the SNP government leaving rural Scotland behind.

“The SNP boasted five years ago that they should be in charge of rollout and took control of it from Westminster.

“Now it’s rural areas like in Banff and Buchan that are suffering because the SNP cannot deliver for Scotland."

In 2017, the SNP Government announced the R100 programme to rollout broadband to 100 percent of premises in Scotland, promised to be completed by 2021.

However, Scottish Government ministers announced in early 2020 that it would be six years behind schedule, completing in 2027.

Mr Duguid added: “Rural areas are being let down and left behind as the SNP instead focus on ever faster speeds for the fast and forget about those still waiting for speeds even approaching 10Mbps. The SNP need to step up or step aside!”

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