Question reference: S5W-18921
- Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 24 September 2018
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Current status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 11 October 2018
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether internet providers will be obligated to connect premises in a way that delivers 30Mbps as part of the R100 programme.
Answer
Under the Scotland Act 1998, the legal and regulatory responsibility for telecoms in the UK rests solely with the UK Parliament and UK Ministers. On that basis, the Scottish Government has no powers to obligate Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to provide services to premises in Scotland.
We are using our economic development powers to subsidise a supplier (or suppliers), through the Scottish Governments £600 million Reaching 100 Percent or R100 programme, to deliver a wholesale broadband network capable of delivering speeds in excess of 30Mbps in areas that would not otherwise be served by a commercial service and, in this way we are addressing and helping to overcome market failure. The chosen supplier(s) will be obligated to have an anchor service provider in place and to encourage a wide range of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to use the network.