Plans Are On to Enhance BT Speeds

The venture to provide the rural areas of Galloway with high speed broadband seemed more imminent when the government of Scotland declared that it would be providing five million pounds for the Next Generation Broadband Project to the South of Scotland.

Members who had been elected and leaders of the community have been urging the authorities to provide faster and improved broadband services to persuade businesses to grow and also to instigate people to invest in new businesses in the region.

Mr. Alex Fergusson, an MSP of Galloway stated that with the Scottish borders and Dumfries and Galloway Councils already promising to provide an amount of 21 million pounds, the anticipated cost for this venture, the five million pounds promised by the Government of Scotland seems a paltry sum in comparison. Nevertheless he said that the important factor was that this amount would help the venture reach the procurement stage thereby adding to the push that is so necessary in this project.

He commented that access to super-fast broadband is the prospective potential of their region with businesses of all sizes looking forward to it. He said that none of these businesses were willing to do business in Dumfries and Galloway until they can access broadband Internet services. It is significant to note that 58% of the UK has access to the next Generation Broadband connectivity, while they have zero%, he stated. He said that if the South of Scotland were to have an authentic economic revival they must set this lack right.

If this project is completed and super fast connectivity is offered by the promised deadline, 90% of the area will be connected to super-fast Internet, while the remaining 10% will get at least a speed of 2Mbps by 2015 end. In spite of the fact that this 10% may probably not have Internet access at all, the significance of the project is pretty apparent he said. The reiterated that this project just has to be done and the declaration by the government is a great leap in trying to make super-fast broadband access happen.

Dr. Aileen McLeod, the SNP MSP for the South of Scotland passed a comment that venture is a real go-getter and that it must be on top of the list of to-do activities in the South of Scotland. She also said that it is obvious that high speed Internet Broadband is something that will aid the South of Scotland to try and compete against other regions and with the world at large.

She stated that there was nothing but super-fast broadband connectivity had the power to do away with the problems that the rural communities are facing. She said that it was imperative to the economy of the region that businesses in the locality are able to access the Internet so that they could widen their horizons and the most ideal means was by providing high speed broadband.

For the economies of Galloway and Dumfries and the other rural parts of Scotland had to grow, super-fast broadband connections are a must, said Dr. McLeod.

Mr. Russell Brown the MP of Galloway and Dumfries stated that this promise was well appreciated and accepted as their areas really hungering for reliable high speed broadband connectivity. Slow speeds are the main problem being faced by the rural locals and they are afraid that they were being ignored. Irrespective of whether it was to have contact with friends, carry on online shopping sprees or carry out banking transactions, the rural people in the region expect to get faster and reliable broadband connectivity.

He said that an extensive network for broadband was as significant as having good roads and rail services. He added that by geographical location they mean that they should have excellent Internet connectivity to the remaining parts of the UK and the world outside. This would be an incentive for people to invest there. He stated that both Dumfries and Galloway should have more far reaching objectives as they have the potential to utilize the possibilities that are offered by the provision of super-fast broadband connection.

He stated that he was nevertheless sad that the UK government led by Tory seemed to hold-up the provisions for super-fast broadband thereby making them lag by three years. He stated that the locals in the region had been awaiting the supply of high speed Internet connectivity and had the right to similar speeds that are being offered in all other places in the UK.