Everyone Is Leaving Rural Scotland Because the Internet Is Too Slow

Population shifts are driven by all sorts of social factors, but the Scottish government appears to have pinpointed a new one: direly sluggish Internet connections.

Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead told Scottish Parliament on Wednesday that “[e]vidence is emerging of broadband-led rural depopulation amid concerns that nearly a fifth of homes in the Highlands and Islands” will not have their service upgraded any time soon, The Scotsman reported.

Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the Scottish Government’s economic and community development agency, has the funds to ensure high-speed broadband for 84% of the population in the next three years, but Finance Secretary John Swinney has promised 95% coverage by 2018, which won’t be possible without more money. Read more…

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