The percentage of premises with access to fibre broadband in Orkney is 64.70 % – and puts Scotland well on course to meeting the 100% coverage target by 2021.
Although essentially a reserved issue to Westminster, the Scottish Government’s £428 million Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) scheme is on track to meet its targets by the end of this year.
DSSB is delivered through two projects – led by Highlands and Islands Enterprise in its area, which includes Orkney, and the Scottish Government in the rest of Scotland. Funding partners include the UK Government, through Broadband Delivery UK, BT, local authorities and the EU via the European Regional Development Fund.
Local MSP Maree Todd, SNP, said:
“Without this Scottish Government investment, Orkney would still be trailing hopelessly behind when it comes to superfast broadband, with no coverage at all.
“Before the Scottish Government stepped in to fix the UK government’s mess, no premises in Orkney had access to superfast broadband – that figure is now at 64.7% after the SNP took action.
“This is giving more people access to the superfast broadband they need, and allowing local businesses to flourish thanks to better connectivity.
Fergus Ewing , Rural Economy Secretary in the Scottish Government said:
“Last year we made faster progress than any other part of the UK and we are on-track to meet our Programme for Government commitment of 95% coverage by the end of this year.”
Matt Hancock , Minister for Digital in the UK Government said:
“We know just how important broadband is in the digital age, and we’ll continue to support Digital Scotland delivering on the ground so that by 2020 everyone in Scotland, and the rest of the UK, will have access to a fast, reliable and affordable internet connection.”
To check if you are able to receive superfast broadband go to Digital Scotland’s
Leave a Reply to Moira ParkerCancel reply