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Boost for community internet and superfast broadband

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Remote and rural communities are to get help connecting to the internet thanks to £2.5million from the Scottish Government.

Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced the funding on a visit to a digital skills class for adult learners, hosted by Caithness Citizen Advice Bureau.

The funding brings the total investment in the Community Broadband Scotland (CBS) programme to £7.5million.

CBS is a national scheme to provide a range of support including advice, guidance and the technical know-how to help remote communities get online.

Ms Sturgeon said: “We are making this investment in remote and rural communities across Scotland to enable them to establish their own community broadband networks.

“Improving digital connectivity doesn’t just boost economic opportunities, it transforms the way people live, work and learn, particularly in remote and rural Scotland.”

The funding will be targeted at those areas least likely to benefit from the rollout of the £410million superfast broadband programme.

In the latest phase of the superfast programme fibre connections will be provided to more than 90,000 homes in 18 local authority areas – including Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Highland, Argyll and Bute, and Orkney.

The Scottish Government said as a result more than 100 communities will have access to broadband speeds of up to 80Mbps by the winter.

Most of the new areas – such as Macduff, Kirkwall and Portmahomack – will receive high speed broadband for the first time.

UK Government Communications Minister Ed Vaizey said: “This fantastic news marks the next stage of a remarkable transformation of broadband in Scotland which will see around 95% of premises connected to fibre broadband infrastructure by 2017/18.

“We understand how important access to superfast broadband is, which is why the UK Government is investing more than £100million in broadband for Scotland.”