Posted: 15th Apr, 2008 By: MarkJ
The
Scotsman reports that residents of the Lothians who are unable to access broadband should be able to do so soon. The Scottish Government's Broadband for Scotland programme aims to have the problem resolved by the end of this year:
Councillor Martyn Day, of West Lothian, said: "A small number of residences both private and commercial are still unable to receive broadband services due to the physical distance from their serving telephone exchange being too great. Those who registered with the programme and those who have genuine problems accessing broadband due to their location will benefit greatly."
Meanwhile Ceredigion Council (Wales) has launch a new "
notspot" survey to gauge how many residents have access to broadband.
BBC News Online offers the following quote from Mark Elliott, assistant director of the council's corporate performance:
"Having a high-speed broadband internet connection means the death of distance as you can begin to access many services online. I urge all citizens to complete the survey form so we can establish whether there is a digital divide occurring and where it is."
British Telecom (BT) notes that 99% of people in Wales should be able to access broadband, although that remaining 1% must not be ignored. Likewise it's worth remembering that many of those with access may only be able to surf at slower speeds.