Scottish broadband industry given funding boost by EC

The European Commission has approved £3.4 million of state aid for improving broadband infrastructure in Scotland.

The public funding will be used to ensure people living in remote locations have access to the internet at a reasonable price.

Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said: "I am pleased to endorse public funding that will allow residential and business users in Scotland, who still do not have access to affordable broadband services, to reap the full benefits of the knowledge-based economy."

This measure builds on a state aid project launched in 2004 to ensure 99 per cent of Scottish households can receive broadband services.

A recent report by the European Commission found that 80 per cent of Europeans have access to broadband, with 250 million people connecting to the internet on a regular basis last year.

Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for Information Society and Media, urged all EU countries to invest more on expanding coverage.