Mark Lazarowicz MP has secured a promise of ministerial help to improve superfast broadband connectivity in parts of the capital.
Lazarowicz, Westminster representative for the Edinburgh North and Leith constituency, tackled Edward Vaizey, under-secretary of state, at Department of Culture, Media and Sport Questions on Thursday 5 September.
He asked what steps would be taken to improve the quality of broadband provision in urban areas:
EV: Under our super-conected cities programme, we have made £150m available to support broadband in cities across the country, including Edinburgh. It is one of five cities piloting the voucher scheme, which will eventually reach 22 cities.
ML: Edinburgh is indeed one of those cities, and that support from the Government is welcome, but there are households right in the city centre that, under present plans, will not get superfast broadband because, on the one hand, BT says that providing them with it would not be commercial and, on the other hand, they are regarded as areas in which it can be developed commercially so they do not get aid under EU state aid rules. Will the Minister get involved and ensure that all households in urban areas get superfast broadband and are not left out, as some of my constituents will be?
EV: We are determined that by the end of 2015 every house will have at least 2 megabits broadband, but I will certainly work with the hon. Gentleman to ensure that if there are pockets of Edinburgh that will not get access to superfast broadband, either commercially or under the super-connected cities programme, we will look at creating a solution.
Clearly, as promises go, Vaizey’s is a bit vague, but Lazarowicz today said he is writing to the minister to ‘find out exactly what he now intends to do’.
Places which miss out in this way are known as ‘not spots’, and they are dotted around Edinburgh. Rose Street and areas off Leith Walk are among those affected near here. The problem attracts frequent frustrated comment from Leith Central Community Council chair John Hein.
'It is really galling the amount of money that the Scottish Government is spending on bringing fast broadband to rural areas,' he says, 'when it is quicker for me to walk the half mile from Montgomery Street up to the seat of government at St Andrew's House with a USB drive in my pocket than to transfer the data online'.
- £2.7 towards increasing public wi-fi access
- £3m towards a voucher scheme to help businesses
- £4m for supporting start-ups
- £1m towards an online Festival archive.
Plans to extend superfast broadband to 90 per cent of Edinburgh’s homes and businesses were dropped because European Union state-aid rules forbid government support in places where the improvement could – even if only in theory – be developed commercially.