THE Scottish Government has pledged to deliver the most ambitious investment broadband scheme in the UK.

Cowdenbeath MSP Annabelle Ewing welcomed a statement in the Scottish Parliament on Thursday from Paul Wheelhouse, the Scottish Government Minister for Connectivity, in which he outlined how the Scottish Government will go beyond its previous commitment to provide superfast broadband to all premises across Scotland.

Ms Ewing said: “The roll-out of future-proofed full fibre broadband means many of the premises which will benefit from the Scottish Government’s Reaching 100% Broadband (R100) programme will now be able to access speeds of up to 1,000 megabits per second instead of the 30 megabits originally proposed.

“As Paul Wheelhouse explained to Parliament, this roll-out means Scotland will have enhanced digital connectivity years ahead of the rest of the UK.

“Indeed, without this leadership from the Scottish Government, only 53% of premises in Fife would have access to superfast broadband – instead, it has now reached 96%, thanks to Scotland's Digital programme - an increase of almost 43 percentage points and getting close to total coverage!

“R100 will ensure that Scotland is ahead of the curve, not just in the UK, but internationally. Through our investment, we will extend full-fibre broadband throughout Scotland, going beyond our original commitment, and helping to deliver future-proofed economic, social and environmental benefits for the whole country.”