Question reference: S6W-19331
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 21 June 2023
-
Current status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 18 July 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the estimated last date will be that rural residents in Fife can expect to have superfast broadband installed.
Answer
The Reaching 100% (R100) programme is ensuring that all homes and businesses can access superfast broadband. This commitment is being delivered through three strands of activity – the £600 million R100 contracts (North, Central and South), our R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme (SBVS) and commercial coverage.
The R100 Central contract, which includes Fife, is currently expected to complete build by the end of March 2024. The contract has so far delivered 407 Fibre To The Cabinet connections in Fife, with all remaining connections expected to be full fibre, capable of delivering gigabit download speeds.
For those properties beyond the reach of the R100 contracts or commercial coverage plans, the R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme – offering vouchers worth up to £5,000 – remains available to help secure a superfast broadband connection.
However, as the R100 SBVS is a demand-led scheme, it is not possible to provide dates by which people might be connected.
Likewise, for properties within the plans of commercial broadband suppliers, we do not hold data on when those connections will be delivered.