The Scottish Liberal Democrats are campaigning to get high-speed broadband to every community in Scotland.

High speed internet is an essential tool

Too many places in Scotland have inadequate service at the moment. And too many people can’t afford to get connected.

The implications of this Divide are serious, significantly affecting many Scottish areas’ educational, cultural and entrepreneurial ambitions.

Businesses in remote and rural areas will benefit the most from the new opportunities. But the benefits will be there for towns and cities too where high-speed broadband is essential for international business.

One report has shown that 20,000 new jobs could be created through the plan to bring high-speed broadband across Scotland. These are firstly in constructing the wiring and the machinery and then from the new business opportunities that will open up for Scottish companies.

Public services will also benefit. Patients will be able to benefit from tele-medicine. There will be new opportunities for distance-learning. Better support could be given to carers. And our creative industries can benefit too.

For these reasons, we want to see every home and business in the country – from Shetland to Stranraer – given the opportunity to make the most of our growing digital world.

I/we call on the new Scottish Government after May to work with the UK Government to make Scotland the most digitally connected region in Europe. The Scottish Government should make sure that the public sector makes full use of new technology to give a better service.

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