Greens skeptical of Scottish Government 2020 broadband target
Scottish Greens are renewing their call for further investment in community broadband after an Audit Scotland report revealed challenges in rolling out high-speed internet nationally by 2020.
John Finnie MSP, the Scottish Greens’ rural and island communities spokesperson says the plan to have Scotland-wide broadband in just four years “looks unrealistic” because of the “vast areas” still without fast and reliable internet access.
John Finnie MSP said:
“All political parties will acknowledge the scale of the task in tackling the barriers to broadband access in Scotland, however the 2020 target of having everyone in Scotland being able to access the internet at any time and on any device looks unrealistic and not well planned out.
"Vast areas of Scotland such as the Highlands and Islands, Borders and Dumfries and Galloway still do not have reliable access to broadband. In many areas the rollout, still dominated by BT, is just not moving fast enough, highlighting the need for resources to be made available for community broadband providers.”