Broadband Reach project to connect rural Scotland

The Scottish Government has announced a £3.5 million project to extend broadband to parts of Scotland which are currently out of reach of broadband services.

Although broadband availability in Scotland is more than 99%, some remote areas are still unable to receive the service. Access to broadband technology can be limited by the distance from ADSL-enabled telephone exchanges.

This limits the ability of businesses and households to take advantage of online services, such as VoIP.

The problem isn’t just confined to rural areas - some parts of Scottish cities are currently unable to access broadband.

The Scottish Government hopes that the Broadband Reach project will help to create a wealthier and fairer Scotland.

Everyone who wishes to be included in the project is invited to register with the Government or the Enterprise Networks by 18 January 2008.

The Government has already put the solution out to tender and plans to select a supplier by March 2008. Broadband services should be rolled out to out of reach customers by December 2008.

Tweeddale MP, David Mundell is calling for the scheme to be extended to include areas where broadband is already available, but is unacceptably slow.