Question reference: S6W-20178
- Date lodged: 25 July 2023
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Current status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 14 August 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what further support will be provided for (a) homes and (b) businesses that are outside the scope of the main R100 programme, but have chosen not to apply for a Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme (SBVS) voucher due to the ongoing cost of a bespoke connection, the reported inability to easily move providers, or the reliability of the technology on offer.
Answer
Given the reserved nature of telecoms legislation, it is the responsibility of the UK Government to ensure that people across Scotland can access reliable broadband. Despite this, the Scottish Government has had to step in and our R100 programme is currently delivering gigabit-capable, full fibre connections across Scotland. We want to push coverage as far as possible via the three R100 contracts and, so far, Openreach have connected over 6,700 additional premises, over and above those contracted at no extra cost to the Scottish Government.
The UK Government’s Project Gigabit should be a vehicle to connect any remaining premises but, to this point, UK Ministers have yet to commit a sufficient level of funding to deliver coverage across all parts of Scotland. We continue to urge them to do so.