Bandwidth the breadth of the nation
All rural areas have specific needs, and in a region like the Highlands and lslands those needs can be particularly acute. The very size of the place means that communication is particularly important.
However, despite this special need, this is the region where internet broadband is least available. Access to high-speed broadband is a question of social equity. In the twenty first century universal access to broadband is becoming as essential as a universal postal or telephone service.
In the Scottish Green Party's manifesto we talk about how we need a "a long-term shift in investment away from building extra capacity in the trunk road network... instead we'll invest those resources in demand management strategies. Comprehensive access to broadband would allow the development of home-working"
For those of us who live in the Highlands and Islands anything that cuts down the need to make long journeys would be particularly welcome, but internet providers are focused on the areas where the profits will be highest, not where the need is greatest.
For rural communities we need to speed up the roll out of high-speed broadband to help us cut emisions and, crucially, make life easier for everyone. Something that's all too clear from this fragile internet connection on the island of Mull.