MSP calls for £15m spend on rural broadband services

The Scottish government has been called upon by an MSP to spend £15 million delivering improved broadband services throughout rural parts of the country.

A windfall of at least £40 million is currently available to the government and Peter Peacock, MSP for the Highlands and Islands, has said part of the money should be spent on improving connectivity in rural communities.

Mr Peacock said the money could be treated as an initial step in delivering the same internet services in remote regions of Scotland that city dwellers enjoy.

He added: "It is not every day a minister gets a windfall of such a huge amount of cash and it is cash that can only be spent in rural areas, nowhere else."

Faster connections could help boost the use of VoIP solutions in rural communities.

There have been doubts as to whether remote parts of the UK will benefit from the Westminster government's universal connectivity policy owing to the cost of laying fibre optic cabling in the countryside, but wireless and satellite technologies offer possible alternatives.