Moray MP Douglas Ross has slammed “painfully slow progress” on ensuring his constituency is fully connected to superfast broadband.
Douglas’ criticism comes after he received a response to a Freedom of Information Request which shows as of 31 October 2023, there are still 4,852 premises in Moray waiting to be connected via the SNP’s flagship R100 broadband scheme.
At the same time last year Douglas revealed 4,888 premises in Moray were waiting to be connected, meaning only 36 have been connected in the space of 12 months.
Douglas says this “astonishingly low” number of connections once again highlights the “dismal failure” of the SNP’s scheme, which they promised to deliver in full to households by 2021.
The FOI response shows that Moray will not be fully connected until 2027.
Douglas says these “intolerable delays” are having a “deeply damaging” impact on Moray’s economy and urged SNP ministers to ensure that premises are “brought up to speed” as quickly as possible.
Moray MP Douglas Ross said: “Progress on ensuring all of Moray is connected to superfast broadband is progressing painfully slowly.
“After uncovering that nearly 4,900 properties were still waiting to be connected at this time of year, it is astonishing that only a further 36 were connected over the course of the last 12 months in Moray.
“That only highlights the continued dismal failure of the SNP’s flagship broadband scheme, which they said they would deliver by 2021.
“Now this Freedom of Information Request shows that Moray won’t be connected until at least 2027.
“These intolerable delays are having a deeply damaging impact on Moray’s economy and putting people off coming here and businesses investing in Moray.
“SNP minsters must urgently outline how they will finally ensure premises are brought up to speed as quickly as possible.”