This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Broadband for all
25/04/2005
Every community in Scotland will have access to
affordable broadband services by the end of 2005, thanks to
a contract signed between the Executive and BT.
Under the Executive's
Broadband for Scotland's Rural and Remote
Areas initiative, BT will enable 378 exchanges to
deliver basic broadband to 51,000 households and 5,400
businesses across Scotland that would not have otherwise
received the service.
All of these exchanges are in remote and rural areas
where it would not have been commercially feasible to
provide broadband without Executive support.
Twenty local authority areas from the Shetland Islands
to the Scottish Borders will benefit.
Announcing the contract, Enterprise Minister Jim Wallace
said that the Executive is stepping in to help provide the
'vital technology' in areas like this where the commercial
market won't deliver.
He said:
"We made a commitment in our Partnership Agreement to
ensure that every community in Scotland has access to
broadband by the end of 2005. We are now well on the way to
delivering on this.
"We cannot allow remote and rural communities to fall
behind simply because they cannot access this vital
technology that can make a positive difference to many
aspects of our lives.
"We have made it clear again and again that economic
growth is our top priority. By providing access to
broadband technology in Scotland and the huge benefits it
brings, we are putting in place an important business and
educational tool to facilitate economic growth in every
community."
Bob Downes, the director of BT Scotland, said:
"Delivering broadband to all of Scotland has been at the
heart of BT Scotland strategy in recent years.
"Having invested in the region of £100 million to bring
broadband to 97.8 per cent of the country by this summer,
we welcome this opportunity to complete the framework. This
will also be welcome news for our workforce of almost
12,000.
"We look forward to working with the Scottish Executive
to overcome Scotland's unique geographical challenges and
use technology to place Scotland at the technological, if
not physical, epicentre of Europe.
"Ubiquitous broadband availability brings great
opportunities for Scotland in education, public services
and business life, and will place Scotland among the
leaders of the G8 countries in terms of availability. BT
Scotland is delighted to have been entrusted with a lead
role in securing the country's economic future."
Engineering work to deliver the roll out of broadband
services across Scotland's rural and remote communities
will begin this week, with broadband services being
available from the first enabled exchanges this summer.
The 20 local authority areas to benefit under the
project are:
- Aberdeenshire
- Angus
- Argyll and Bute
- Scottish Borders
- Dumfries and Galloway
- East Ayrshire
- East Lothian
- East Renfrewshire
- Fife
- Highland
- Midlothian
- Moray
- North Ayrshire
- Orkney
- Perth and Kinross
- Shetland
- South Ayrshire
- South Lanarkshire
- Stirling
- West Dunbartonshire
The Broadband for Scotland's Rural and Remote Areas
Initiative has been funded as part of the Executive's £24
million broadband strategy for Scotland, and has also
received financial support of up to £5 million from the
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) programme in
Scotland.
Broadband for Scotland is run by the Executive in
partnership with Highlands and Islands Enterprise and
Scottish Enterprise. The Broadband for Scotland's Remote
and Rural Areas procurement was led by the Scottish
Procurement Directorate at the Executive.
The project was advertised in the Official Journal of
the European Union in July 2004 and was, in parallel,
notified to the European Commission for State Aid
clearance. The project received Commission approval as
compatible State Aid in November 2004. BT was selected as
the supplier after the open procurement process and a
contract with them has just been signed.