Question reference: S5W-00121
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for Argyll and Bute, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 18 May 2016
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Current status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 26 May 2016
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Highlands and Islands Enterprise and BT regarding the reported dissatisfaction among communities in Argyll and Bute regarding the availability of superfast broadband and the provision of information about this to the public.
Answer
The Scottish Government regularly liaises with stakeholders, including Highlands and Islands Enterprise and BT, regarding the delivery of broadband services. The Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband project in the Highlands and Islands remains on track to deliver at least 84% fibre broadband coverage across the region by the end of 2016. Coverage in Argyll and Bute will be at least 83% by the end of the project. Commercial coverage alone would only have delivered to 28% of premises in Argyll and Bute.
All parties are committed to providing accurate deployment information to the public as and when it is confirmed. Weekly updates are provided via the Digital Scotland interactive map and postcode checker which can be accessed at:
Community Broadband Scotland (CBS) is helping communities across Scotland deliver innovative broadband solutions in areas that won’t have coverage delivered by Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband. CBS has approved funding for 67 projects, including GigaPlus Argyll which will deliver superfast broadband to over 1,400 premises across the island communities.