CBI backs broadband campaign

CBI Scotland has thrown its weight behind a campaign calling for the introduction of a business-centred high speed broadband strategy aimed at avoiding a widening digital divide compared with the rest of the UK.

Ofcom recently warned that Scotland trails the rest of Britain in the broadband stakes, resulting in lasting damage to the country’s economy and its commercial prospects at home and abroad.

The CBI has joined the ranks of a growing number of bodies, including the Scottish Chambers of Commerce and Federation of Small Businesses, calling on a nationwide “next generation” broadband programme.

Cabinet secretary for infrastructure and capital investment Alex Neil is due to announce this month the Scottish Government’s plans to deliver its digital programme.

Iain McMillan, the CBI’s Scottish director, said: “The availability of next generation broadband services is essential to the success of business and the economy.”