Highland MSP offers to draft broadband minister's resignation
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The Scottish Government today (Thursday, January 9) announced that the delivery of its flagship superfast broadband programme – known as R100 – will not completed until 2023 in South and Central Scotland, with no date set for the Highlands.
Initially, the Scottish Government had made a promise to deliver R100 to all homes and businesses by 2021.
In a statement to the Scottish Parliament, the energy minister Fergus Ewing was unable to give any date whatsoever for connecting premises in the north of Scotland because of a legal dispute.
He said homes and offices not connected under R100 by 2021 would be eligible for a voucher scheme to help them access commercial broadband services.
Edward Mountain MSP said: “Sadly, another contract that is going to be delivered late and another broken promise.
"Now, Fergus Ewing offered to resign if R100 wasn’t delivered by 2021 and it appears it won’t be delivered in the Highlands before 2026 / 2027.
"Mr Ewing if you are having trouble drafting it I will give you a hand."
Mr Mountain asked: “Will the vouchers issued in the Highlands for superfast broadband ensure that no one there pays more than those in the Central Belt for the equivalent broadband connection?”
The minister replied: “I accept entirely that there may be people who are priced out of using broadband services, clearly we don’t have the tools in this Parliament, that’s not me making a constitutional point it’s just a fact, we don’t have the tools in this Parliament to intervene in the telecoms market to make the intervention that we would have to see .
"We would have to see the UK Government take a step forward in that regard. The idea of a social tariff has been floated, that is potentially one way.
"A social tariff operates in the energy sector for example, could that approach be applied in the broadband sector as well to help customers who are faced with high costs of connecting.”
Following the exchange, Mr Mountain commented: “The people of the Highlands and Islands have every right to be frustrated and disappointed at how this SNP Government has broken its promises on delivering superfast broadband by 2021.
"What is even worse is that SNP Government gave no assurances that those who take up the voucher scheme will not pay more than those in the Central Belt. Highlanders should not have to pay excessive internet prices only because the SNP Government failed to deliver its R100 programme on time.
"It is also deeply concerning that the SNP Government accept that it might take until 2026 or 2027 to deliver the R100 programme to the North of Scotland.
"Once again our region is being left behind and is losing out on vital infrastructure that it needs now.
Finally, Fergus Ewing doesn’t intend to resign and is therefore breaking a personal promise to the people of the Highlands and Islands.
"Quite frankly, the SNP Government’s handling of the R100 programme has been a shambles and it is putting the Highland economy at a huge disadvantage.”
