Ewing should ' hang his head in shame' over failure to deliver superfast broadband, says Mountain
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A NORTH MSP has said Scottish Government minister, Fergus Ewing, should "hang his head in shame" after it emerged parts of the Highlands will not receive superfast broadband until 2026 - five years later than planned.
Edward Mountain, the Conservative MSP for the Highlands and Islands, hit out after the date was revealed at a meeting of the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee at Holyrood by Paul Wheelhouse, the Minister for Energy, Connectivity and Islands. Three years ago, his predecessor, Fergus Ewing, said he would resign if the R100 broadband programme was not delivered by the end of 2021.
Mr Mountain said the Scottish government is "on course to break that promise, having only signed the contract to deliver the project in December last year."
He claimed Mr Ewing - now the Rural Economy and Tourism Minister - should "hang his head in shame" following the five year delay in the delivery of the project.
Mr Wheelhouse confirmed the date during questioning by the north MSP but stressed that BT - the company awarded the contract - is trying to accelerate the delivery of the project.
Mr Mountain said: "That will be bitterly disappointing to people in the Highlands who were expecting it in 2021, indeed were promised in 2021 by your predecessor. So could you just confirm to me that 2026 is the date that it will be delivered and that’s the date, if not earlier, that was agreed when you signed the £384 million contract with BT?"
The Minister said 2026 is the final date for the programme but added: "We are working to try and accelerate that."
Afterwards, Mr Mountain, said: "The truth is slowly emerging that the SNP Government will be unable to rollout broadband to some Highland communities until into 2026, maybe even 2027.
"This is a serious failure and the lack of digital infrastructure in the Highlands threatens to slow the region’s recovery from the pandemic."
Jamie Stone, the Liberal Democrat MP for Caithness, Sutherland and easter Ross, also criticised the delay.
He claimed the Scottish Government is "deepening the digital divide" and pointed out that superfast broadband coverage in his constituency is 78.86 per cent. The Scottish average is 94.6 percent while it is 97 per cent in the UK.
Mr Stone said: "The SNP's failure to deliver the R100 programme is going to have implications for the viability of living and working in the Highlands. As the pandemic has shown, access to high quality, affordable broadband is an absolute necessity for businesses and households alike. Failing to deliver the R100 programme means failing to deliver jobs. It means failing to combat depopulation.
"Highland communities have some of the lowest level of broadband and mobile coverage in the country. It's as if the SNP Government want to punish us and keep us in the dark ages. I will continue to demand better of them."
