Crockart in call for fast broadband

Edinburgh West Liberal Democrat MP Mike Crockart has called on the government to ensure all communities have access to reliable broadband.

Speaking in a parliamentary debate, he said while Edinburgh had the fastest average maximum broadband speed in the UK at 10.1Mbps, according to an Ofcom study, some of his constituents in Kirkliston, barely ten miles away, still had speeds of just 1 or 2 Mbps.

He said: “Access to the internet is coming to be seen by many as a fundamental human right, in several countries acting as the only source of broad and open access to information and freedom of expression.

“How is it that we can applaud the role social media and internet access has played as an engine of economic and social transformation and growth in so many developing countries, and indeed throughout the Arab Spring, and yet fail to provide this same opportunity in our own country?

“The UK Government has contributed close to £70 million towards improving broadband in Scotland. We now need the Scottish Government to use this money to ensure every Scot has access to fast broadband.”