Whiteford Welcomes High Speed Broadband for Peterhead

Banff & Buchan MP Dr Eilidh Whiteford has welcomed the news of a major investment for Peterhead which could help create new businesses and local jobs. BT has announced that high-speed fibre broadband will be rolled out to more than 5,300 homes and businesses in the town during 2013.

The investment is expected to give a major lift to the local economy. Recent research by Regeneris Consulting predicted that over the next 15 years BT’s fibre broadband could give the economy of a typical town a £143 million boost, create 225 new jobs and 140 new start-up businesses.

Welcoming the announcement, Dr Whiteford, said:

“This is very welcome news for Peterhead. Super-fast broadband is an essential building block to economic recovery and growth. It gives our local firms a boost and brings us a competitive edge in attracting new businesses, jobs and investment. Residents will also benefit from being able to do more, better and faster, online.

“While this is good news for Peterhead, there are still parts of the North-east where broadband services are inadequate. I hope today's developments will be the catalyst for improvements to internet connections in our rural areas, so local residents and businesses can also benefit from super-fast broadband.”

Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure and Capital Investment Alex Neil said:

“Communities across Scotland should have access to superfast broadband, no matter where they are. That’s why it is a key priority for us for all parts of Scotland to have next generation high-speed broadband.

“Today’s announcement is helping to deliver the world class broadband infrastructure across Scotland. We are clear that the private sector has a significant role to play too, and this is a welcome step forward towards achieving our vision.

“Everyone recognises the importance of access to superfast broadband, not just for our local economies but for every aspect of life in the modern world.”