Campaign for Superfast Broadband in Rural and Hard-to-Reach Areas
Superfast Broadband Network :
Peter Peacock calls for Government statement on Highlands and Islands
inclusion 13 October 2010 Highlands and Islands Labour MSP Peter Peacock has called on the
Westminster Government to officially announce that a superfast broadband
network is to be funded in the region as soon as possible.
The MSP, who has been campaigning on this issue for many months, was
speaking after UK Government sources revealed that a scheme is to be
created in the Highlands as part of a project which could cost up to
£35million.
Details of the places the network would cover are not yet known but it
is understood to include Alness, Dingwall Wick, Thurso and Portree.
However, it is yet to be confirmed if the Western Isles will benefit.
The network will receive UK Government funding which will be topped up
with additional money from Highlands and Islands Enterprise and other
sources, including the private sector.
Mr Peacock said: "I hope the Coalition Government will make this
announcement soon as it is vitally important for the economy of the
Highlands and Islands that we get faster broadband. I also hope that
announcement will confirm the Western Isles will be part of the scheme."
He explained: "In August I travelled to London to meet Rob Sullivan,
Head of Broadband Delivery UK, the Government’s delivery vehicle for
broadband policies, to make the need and case for significant new
investment in broadband.
"I said that although we faced the greatest challenges in delivering
high speed broadband to the Highlands and Islands, we also know there
are solutions in sight to the problems.
However, we need Government money to make that happen as the private
sector would not provide the services we need because of our relatively
low population and high costs of infrastructure investment, because of
our geography."
"I am pleased that the Government appears to have listened, but the
quicker we get on with creating a superfast broadband network in the
Highlands and Islands, including the Western Isles, the better. We still
have a long way to go to get the services we need and even if this
project is funded, welcome
though that will be, it won’t solve all our problems."
Send a letter to the UK Government Minister with responsibility for the
development of broadband
You can help the broadband campaign in this
way.
We have produced an email
which you can send from the web site to the Jeremy Hunt MP, Secretary of
State for
The e-mail contains a letter which is already
embedded in it .
The text of this letter
reads :
Dear Secretary of State I understand that some market testing projects may be
commissioned to test the viability of bringing superfast broadband to rural and
hard-to-reach areas. Inadequate broadband services is hampering the economic,
business and educational development of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. This is resulting in economic disadvantage and a continuing
impediment to the ability to secure a prosperous future for the area. I therefore call on you to designate the Highlands and
Islands region a pilot project area. The remoteness of parts of the area, coupled with the
mountainous terrain, would make it an ideal testing ground for any improvements to broadband
infrastructure.
Click on the link
below, to send the e-mail to the Secretary of State.
You can add your name and address to it, as well
as any other comment that you would like to make.
You can
send us a copy of your e-mail to the Minister by adding a cc to :
info@hibroadband.org.uk
