WEIR WELCOMES BROADBAND USO ANNOUNCEMENT.

WEIR WELCOMES BROADBAND USO ANNOUNCEMENT.

SNP Business and Enterprise spokesperson, Mike Weir MP, has welcomed a commitment by the UK Government to introduce a Universal Service Obligation (USO) for broadband.

Mr Weir has been campaigning for such a commitment following problems experienced in his own Angus constituency with access to the service.

Mr Weir said:

”The Scottish Government has done excellent work in bringing broadband to rural communities but there remain several areas which cannot receive services, or only receive it at a very slow rate.

”Broadband is the communications highway for the twenty-first century and this announcement is a step in the right direction.
”Much more has to be done, however, to ensure that every home and business has access to a faster speed and this will require significant investment. Right now, Scotland and the UK is lagging behind in the provision of fibre optics.

“In my view the UK Governments aspiration to connect 40% of homes is not ambitious enough. Every community should have access to this technology so that businesses in rural Scotland can compete with enterprises elsewhere in the UK and indeed throughout Europe.”