Question reference: S5W-27587
- Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
- Date lodged: 24 February 2020
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Current status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 11 March 2020
Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it expects to have a list of all the homes that cannot be connected to superfast broadband through the R100 programme by the end of 2021, which will therefore be eligible to apply to its alternative voucher scheme.
Answer
As I have set out to the Rural Economy Committee and in the Chamber, it is our intention to develop an on online checker - which we aim to launch in Summer 2020 – which will provide information down to the individual premises level. This is an improvement on data provided under the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme, which was published at postcode level, in order to reduce confusion for local people and business customers.
The online checker will confirm whether properties are in commercial plans or are part of the R100 contract build, and whether or not they are eligible for a voucher. This will give individuals and businesses as much clarity as possible on whether they will benefit directly from R100 and the nature of the solution proposed, thereby ensuring everyone can access a superfast service by the end of 2021.