Full Fibre Broadband for all - (Fibre To The Premises)

Many businesses will not rise from the ashes of COVID and sadly countless thousands of Scots will join the ranks of the unemployed. We have however learned two things in recent weeks. Firstly the NHS is the beating heart of the Country and secondly, excellent broadband connectivity is essential for a fully inclusive society to function efficiently and fairly. Those fortunate enough to excellent broadband have continued to work from home perfectly well and many corporations have realised that they do not require expensive office blocks in the middle of the city for business to proceed as normal. Individuals have enjoyed not having to sit in traffic for hours each day to get to the office or catch the "red eye" flight to London. The Scottish economy is now in tatters as is the rest of the Globe but what we do with the little capital available post COVID is critical. It should be redirected from Transport to Digital.

Why the contribution is important

There is a vast amount of evidence to support the view that the return of investment on digital infrastructure in excellent. The Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband being just one example where £12 was returned for every £1 invested. Full Fibre not only gives every Scot the opportunity to undertake highly skilled and highly paid employment, this can be done regardless of location. Social inclusion becomes a reality rather than a few words on a manifesto. Service like remote medical diagnostics become a reality, our children can have access to the best educational tools, the list of benefits is simply as long as ones imagination. Austerity is not the way to kick start the economy post COVID but nor is spending scarce capital on dualling roads that aren't justifiable on economic grounds. Spend the money on infrastructure where the whole of Scotland can realise the benefits.

by WOODSM4 on May 05, 2020 at 02:31PM

Current Rating

Average rating: 4.7
Based on: 86 votes

Comments

  • Posted by Hammy May 05, 2020 at 15:24

    I would agree that all homes and businesses should have access to this. The travel alone to and from businesses would see a massive reduction in carbon footprint. A reduction in much needed office space. Reduction in need to spend massive amounts in rents to landlords. Lesser travelling expenses for workers and some of the money saved by businesses in reducing office requirement could go some way to paying staff better wages. It can only be a win win for all.

  • Posted by Ironduke May 05, 2020 at 15:50

    Most people had not heard of teams or zoom of goto before this lockdown. Now Universities and businesses are functioning very well with remote working. Even students who have gone home to other countries are able to get on with their projects and studies. We have learnt how to home work and remote work. We have also realized that whilst this can introduce other stresses we do not have the stress of the daily commute, the rush to find a lunch place with a seat etc.... We have learnt how to shop online, how to limit our outings to the supermarket to once a week and do not miss may of the shops we never went in and have fount that we can get exactly what we want online quite easily. We even visit the doctor online for most ailments and get the prescription at the chemist... It is only a small step for video consultations and chemists mailing the prescriptions. The bottom line is when covid is over, there will be a new norm, we will not travel as much, we will restrict commuting, make less business trips and probably never go on a plane or cruise line for a holiday. We will rely more heavily on the internet... This means that a government priority is to ensure connectivity to every home and premise in Scotland before any other infrastructure project.

  • Posted by deerhoundchris May 05, 2020 at 17:55

    Vital!

  • Posted by Deesiemitchell May 05, 2020 at 18:05

    Scotland needs a full ultra fast digital economy. Access to great broadband provides opportunities for every one of us to succeed on an equal footing.

  • Posted by Hudsone728 May 05, 2020 at 18:30

    Totally in agreement. Stop moving people, just move goods, services online wherever we can but remember that we can't all afford access/devices so further intervention to support those without access.

  • Posted by DevVeh May 05, 2020 at 19:28

    I think this is a seperate issue to COVID19. I agree with it but we wont have this rolled out during the pandemic

  • Posted by SaveOurBees May 06, 2020 at 06:25

    100% agree. The last 6 weeks have shown that WFH is preferred by many employees and employers alike. Having the BB infrastructure that encourages and facilitates this is essential.

    Why pour billions into road projects that we don’t need and will lock us into a carbon economy when a high speed broadband network can provide a platform for sustainable growth?

  • Posted by LAnderson May 06, 2020 at 14:31

    WOODSM4 is absolutely correct. All Scots need FTTP to live, work and socialise on a level playing field. Spending money on vanity projects such as the plan to dual the A96 from Inverness to Aberdeen is against all climate change goals and does not address the real issue of connectivity - spend the money on fast fibre broadband that enables people to work from home instead of being slaves to commuting. Apply new thinking, not backward thinking!

  • Posted by CC77 May 06, 2020 at 15:10

    Another vote for WOODSM4 - yes! The landscape of working and living has changed forever due to the prevalence of this dreadful pandemic. Home working in some capacity has to become the new normal for those who can; its cleaner, safer and literally IS environmentally friendly in its essential sense rather than the lip service 'environmental' rubbish perpetrated by the planners of the A96 vanity duelling project. Using public monies to fund such an utter waste of time such as this ridiculous duelling project really has never been less relevant, appropriate or responsible. Lets sort out actual problems, that affect real people who are hurting NOW, and support them to protect their incomes as best they can working from home. And the mooted £3billion they were going to spend on that road? Broadband that allows people to work form home, family centred local projects to get economy moving with confidence and support for struggling local businesses might be a better spend...and if there is any left over...our amazing NHS I'm sure would appreciate a donation.

  • Posted by OP1X May 06, 2020 at 15:20

    The ‘new normal’ must be better than the past. To achieve this, societal inequalities and climate change must be addressed urgently. The implementation of fast, reliable and affordable broadband to all properties addresses both digital inequality and climate change. The Scottish Government must prioritize capital spending on sustainable infrastructure such as broadband.

  • Posted by pshanks May 06, 2020 at 15:22

    Agreed. There are so many benefits to this from reduced reliance on commuting (working from home) and the associated carbon footprint and air quality improvement, to improved quality of life (fast, reliable access to content for all) and future proofing for IoT being becoming a more integrated part home life.

  • Posted by SarahtheBeelady May 06, 2020 at 16:33

    This is a great idea and I ask the Scottish Government to act on this quickly. We have all seen the satellite images showing huge reductions in air pollution during the lockdowns caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting reduction in car, plane and other fossil fuel burning journeys. We have also seen how easy it is for some of us to work from home, given a robust, fit for purpose broadband infrastructure. I really don’t want us to go back to our pre Covid polluting ways. Give us decent broadband coverage, fit for the 21st century and beyond and allow those of us who can, to continue working from home, protecting the planet in the process. Come on Scottish Government, show some initiative here, ditch the expensive road building projects such as the controversial A96 dualling upgrade and divert the money saved by doing this into investing in state of the art broadband services.

  • Posted by terri May 06, 2020 at 21:22

    Totally agree essential for economic prosperity of rural areas.

  • Posted by lcsxg22 May 07, 2020 at 08:13

    The pandemic has had a profound change on our landscape - this has proven how important good broadband is for all. All previous comments endorsed.

  • Posted by macrob64 May 07, 2020 at 08:17

    agree, full fibre broadband will help Scotland thrive post covid

  • Posted by Ianp27 May 07, 2020 at 08:20

    Great Idea, Scotland needs a full fibre network to support the economy moving forward. As more people work at home we need to ensure the country has the capacity to support all users. Given the reduced amount of traffic on roads and will be for some time as more people stay at home and businesses support working at home we need to ensure investments are apportioned to the right infrastructure investment.

  • Posted by Oracle67 May 07, 2020 at 08:23

    Fully endorse this proposal

  • Posted by KevinDrain May 07, 2020 at 08:43

    Agreed.

  • Posted by markcoyle May 07, 2020 at 08:56

    Totally agree, lets make this a turning point on investment. This is a win-win on so many levels.
    Let Scotland lead by example.

  • Posted by john41 May 07, 2020 at 08:58

    Totally agree with WOODSM4 , digital infrastructure is the only way forward and the last 6 weeks has really confirmed this

  • Posted by JDKFB May 07, 2020 at 09:17

    There are so many benefits to be had from this - reduced commuting (and therefore pollution), more content available to households for education and entertainment, increased digital entrepreneur/startup opportunities for businesses in rural areas.

  • Posted by MartinGWhiting May 07, 2020 at 09:40

    After years of talking about it - lets do it. The CV19 situation has proven how valuable high speed broadband connectivity is.

  • Posted by Dianesavin May 07, 2020 at 10:28

    This previous comment sums up how I feel, “Scotland needs a full ultra fast digital economy. Access to great broadband provides opportunities for every one of us to succeed on an equal footing.”

  • Posted by Enaidsor May 07, 2020 at 15:14

    This is really important, I am working from home and struggle with Broadband where I live. For us to be able to contribute to the economy and work in isolation we need fibre to every home in Scotland!

  • Posted by Markiebhoy88 May 07, 2020 at 15:57

    I want to call out Openreach and their engineering workforce during this period. Building Scotland's future, fibre broadband network will ensure that the country recovers quickly.

  • Posted by LloydE May 07, 2020 at 18:47

    Fully agree with this, investment in our future not in more tarmac and the ways of the past!

  • Posted by MarkR May 07, 2020 at 18:56

    Completely agree with this.
    If there is one silver lining of this horrible pandemic, it's that people have perhaps realised that we can break our dependence on the car and commuting to towns and cities with everyone else to physically work "in the same place".
    Let's use this situation to jump start a new normal and not return to outdated ideas of large unnecessary new roads as our way to build ourselves out of the economic doldrums.

  • Posted by Lozz65 May 07, 2020 at 22:39

    This is an important issue. Broadband is dire, so slow, Almost at a standstill at times and it has been so hard for many outside of town to work from home in this time of lockdown. It is important for work, schooling and in these times, face to face appoints with doctors and medical staff. We all face more time at home with a system that is substandard for many of us making it harder to contact friends and family, let alone download or upload photos of them. We will all have to learn to live differently when this is over, we are having a positive impact on the environment presently with reduce emissions from cars, less traffic, better air quality and safer streets. We have shown we do not need huge road projects, it is a waste of resources and damaging to the environment and health. Money therefore, should be put into The communities where It will have positive impacts on their lives, help them lead healthier lives and to be able to work and educate at home and all be able to use the same quality of broadband And technology as those in the cities and large town.

  • Posted by Ydad May 08, 2020 at 06:47

    A fantastic way to link infrastructure investment with green economic recovery, reducing commuting emissions.

  • Posted by macmac May 08, 2020 at 07:28

    Agree with this. Need to bring forward plans for 30Mbps and stop relying on poor 4G signals.

  • Posted by jonesma May 08, 2020 at 07:55

    I endorse the post of WOODSM4. Focus limited funds on broadband to connect people instead of building large roads that will cover hundreds of hectares of good quality farmland in tarmac. Such a move would also reduce transport related pollution and use land to grow crops nearer to market instead of importing food from half way round the globe (thus helping to meet climate change targets).

  • Posted by Pedro May 08, 2020 at 10:11

    Totally agree. Broadband for everyone will reduce social inequality, give opportunities to all and benefit climate change. Scottish Government should only spend the limited money they have on policies that benefit everyone and disadvantage none.

  • Posted by reynpj May 08, 2020 at 15:03

    The pandemic has taught us that universal availability of high speed broadband is essential if everyone is to be able to participate fully in society, whether that be social gathering, education, work, shopping or health. The Scottish Government should prioritise investment in fibre broadband and make our country fit for the 21st century. Oh, and it helps enormously with the climate challenge too! Digital online connections to myriads of public and private services reduces pollution, CO2 emissions and the ever-escalating costs of road-building.

  • Posted by GORDORDO May 08, 2020 at 15:28

    Here here!

  • Posted by car56 May 08, 2020 at 16:46

    Absolutely agree that full fibre broadband is a vital tool for social inclusion as well as an essential tool to return the economy to growth. The country will be much more resilient to pandemics like Covid-19 if more people can work where they live and all children can access online classes from home. Great idea WOODSM4.

  • Posted by gws1380 May 08, 2020 at 17:40

    I absolutely agree with the comment from woodsm4. There has been a fundamental shift in how society operates, precipitated by the Covid-19 lockdown. With the realisation that travel is not the only way to do business, or even fulfil our social lives, a full upgrade of Scotland’s broadband would go a long way to realising the Scottish governments promise of an inclusive society.

    Most importantly, we could start to alleviate pressure from the NHS by taking patients out of hospitals and doctors waiting rooms by providing reliable digital consultations amongst other online services.

    The Scottish Government has already declared a climate emergency but has remained committed to building new roads instead of focusing on getting people to travel more wisely. Giving society the ability to function efficiently from home instead of giving us a new road of questionable economic return certainly gets my vote.

    Well done and good idea WOODSM4.

  • Posted by AlexMack May 08, 2020 at 17:57

    This is so important.
    Building a proper connectivity infrastructure will be essential to the recovery of the ecomony. New ways of working have emerged during this crisis and it has highlighted that being able to access good broadband is so important for our communities and will help so many rural communities thrive in the future

  • Posted by DPert May 08, 2020 at 18:27

    This makes sense. One thing we've learned in the last few weeks is just how much of the economy is digital these days, and how effective people can be when connected by technology. More robust infrastructure is a must.

  • Posted by RobertDG May 09, 2020 at 08:31

    Openreach has laid fibre direct to our property. But they are unable to connect it up until the middle of June because they aren't allowed to work inside the home.

    We have been trying to manage three businesses with 50+ employees for the last two months on a terrible connection. In addition our two children have been remote schooling which is killing our connection.

    We totally understand that the safety of the Openreach engineer is vital. But with the right guidelines surely it is possible for them to install inside the home.

    For example:
    - we could vacate that area of the house for 72 hours (which is possible)
    - they could install a temporary connection outside
    - they could pass the connection box through the window as a temporary measure

    I do realise that we are incredibly lucky to have fibre, even though it isn't connected. But these restrictions on completing the connection are harming our ability to work and educate. I wonder how many other businesses are suffering the same fate.

  • Posted by JMac May 09, 2020 at 13:10

    Given the likely state of the economy going forward, spending what little money we have on infrastructure that benefits the whole of Scotland and also acknowledges the climate emergency makes excellent sense. A very good post.

  • Posted by lesbruce May 09, 2020 at 14:26

    Convid-19 has changed the landscape dramatically. Peoples' requirements have been revolutionised. The worker now does not want to spend hours every week travelling back and forth to work. Remote working and the setting up of a home office is the way forward for many. Likewise for students.
    To this end a reliable, fast broadband system is absolutely essential. That can only be done by investing in a full fibre network. Where I live, only 1.5 miles from Whiteford, Pitcaple there are approx. 25 houses (incl some home offices) which are served by a copper cable over the last 1.5 miles. Average speed ~ 12Mbps with frequent drop-outs. Simply not good enough.
    What is the point of spending millions dualling the nearby A96 when peoples' work practices are obviously going to alter? That money has to be redirected to vastly improving the broadband network to cope with increased digital traffic. This would also work hugely in the reduction of carbon emissions and help provide extra funding towards the Health Service. It's a no-brainer!

  • Posted by jwhyte1 May 09, 2020 at 14:58

    With 2 of us trying to work from home during the COVID 19 lockdown, it has become apparent that our broadband just isn't good enough. Our connection is very slow and regularly disappears altogether. Just checked it just now 9.13 Mb/s download and 0.95 Mb/s upload. Full fibre broadband would benefit everyone in many different aspects of their lives. Rather than wasting money building new roads which will benefit few people and damage the environment, the money could be much better spent on improving broadband for all communities.

  • Posted by Logie May 09, 2020 at 17:03

    This proposal is directly related to the Covid-19 pandemic, in which so many have been forced to work and shelter at home. High-speed broadband would have a huge impact, and help save lives.

    We agree with WOODS4M. It is time to look ahead with fresh eyes and fresh hopes. If COVID has taught us nothing else, we need to roll out high speed internet communications for all of Scotland, and not more big roads.

  • Posted by jcgreenhalgh May 10, 2020 at 16:34

    As one who lives in an area which BT 'opted out' of providing with fibre broadband due to the costs involved, I couldn't agree more! Broadband speeds via the (not fit for purpose) phone line are currently appalling, live streaming is not possible etc etc. It is time for the Scottish Government to invest in bringing all parts of rural Scotland up to date in this respect.

  • Posted by johndmorrison May 11, 2020 at 09:45

    Investment in BB is the way forward post corono virus rather than dualling the A96 from Inverness to Aberdeen. Less transport being used equals less carbon emissions. Any available money must be spent very wisely. Dualling the A96 is not.

  • Posted by anncmorrison May 11, 2020 at 11:42

    Once this virus is under control and governments address the enormous impact on the economy, they must spend very carefully. We can no longer afford to invest in projects which take decades to complete and finish many times over budget. Many parts of Scotland still struggle with very inadequate broadband, despite the push for many services to be provided online which was already taking place. We have seen in the last few weeks how essential services have been provided while adapting to new ways of working. There is no going back to the previous ways of working. Investment in highspeed broadband is crucial for the recovery of the economy and the future provision of services. Working from home will become the norm, and transport and travel are also going to change forever. The environment will benefit from much reduced carbon emissions and this can be consolidated by government actions. Our scarce budget in the future must be directed at infrastructure and services providing IMMEDIATE value for money - the NHS is and must remain the first priority. We cannot afford to waste money on costly projects, such as the overblown proposal for the A96 dualling, where much money has already been spent on design options and consultations.

  • Posted by KLRkir May 11, 2020 at 15:07

    I couldn't agree more, WOODSM4. This is a step that would allow everyone living in Scotland to participate in the digital economy, regardless of where they live. And more importantly, it's a crucial step to make possible the changes in work and travel habits that we need to address the climate change challenge.

  • Posted by HectorNG May 11, 2020 at 15:37

    The need for the roll out of FTTP will be an excellent way of ensuring Scotland moves forward and emerges from the dire situation we are all in. As someone who lives in the countryside and has a BB speed of less than 3mbps I hope the Scottish Government will see this as an excellent use of finances to enable us all to continue to work from home in the future. Not having to travel into the city 5 days a week will also mean less CO2 emissions.
    My neighbour less than half a mile away has FTTP but we don't and our 4G speed is little better than the copper we have to use.

  • Posted by Scottmw_99 May 11, 2020 at 20:00

    Excellent idea. During this pandemic, many of us have began to work from home and we have realised this is only possible with a strong and stable and internet connection. Going forward we can expect that many will choose to continue working from home as opposed to commuting (something that would help bring down our carbon footprint and aid in achieving net zero sooner) - our economy has been fundamentally changed. Unfortunately, many across Scotland have to suffer with outdated and inadequate connections and so cannot partake in this.
    After noticing an article on BBC news discussing the ongoing conflict in government between those who seek to improve internet connections and those who wish to build more large roads, I couldn't help but be utterly bewildered. Why on earth, when we are trying to cut down on emissions and become more eco friendly, would we even consider building new roads? The very concept seems quite frankly moronic to me. I don't believe there should be any debate here.

  • Posted by SeanCorrie May 11, 2020 at 20:11

    100% agree with WOODSM4. To build new roads is 20th Century thinking and not the type of infrastructure Scotland needs to provide jobs for future generations. For social inclusion to become a reality, everybody will need full fibre to the premises. Even the 30mbps aspirations of the Scottish Governments R100 programme will not be enough capacity in a couple of years time. Once the fibre is installed to all properties, then as technology develops in the future, only the electronics will need to be upgraded. Spending £billions on new roads is immoral and quite simply unjustified on economic, environmental and social grounds. Sustainable and clean employment is what Scotland needs as we emerge from the scourge of COVID.

  • Posted by IMcK May 11, 2020 at 20:47

    I would prefer to have good internet and collect rainwater than have mains water and no internet. Perhaps that's an exaggeration, but in the current age, good internet is an essential utility.

  • Posted by Brett May 11, 2020 at 21:03

    Continue to work with isolated groups as announced in the recent innitiave.

    As a result of the pandemic perhaps allow for referrals to the broadband scheme and for mobile networks to expand the scheme yet further.

    Enabling discounted or free access for the shielded group would be a good starting point.

    Perhaps providing a mobile phone with the ability to make and receive video calls to reduce the level of loneliness at the basic level. Right up to including broadband installation and training/support beyond.
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