SMALL businesses in four Scottish cities are to receive a share of £40 million of UK Government funding to access superfast broadband, Danny Alexander, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, will announce today.
Speaking at the devolution summit in Glasgow, the Highland MP will say that from April 1, small firms, charities, social enterprises and sole traders across Inverness, Stirling, Dundee and Glasgow will be able to benefit from the broadband connection vouchers scheme, which is already running in Edinburgh, Perth and Aberdeen as well as 19 other cities across the UK.
Mr Alexander will say: "For many businesses across Scotland and the UK, high speed broadband isn't a luxury, it's a necessity.
"Businesses in Glasgow, Inverness, Stirling and Dundee will benefit from faster connections, downloads and uploads, meaning that they can communicate better with customers across the world.
"It is extremely frustrating that some small businesses in cities can't get the broadband connection they need; these vouchers will help them to change that."
Noting how he grew up on a remote Scottish island, the Highland MP will say he knows what a huge difference being connected makes to rural communities.
"That's why I'm also proud to say that the UK Government's rural broadband programme has now passed 200,000 premises across rural Scotland.
"For the first time, people in these areas will be able to sign up for superfast broadband, and experience the benefits of being able to stay in touch, do deals and communicate more effectively than ever before across Scotland."
He will say that devolution backed up by targeted government activity and government funding offers cities the best of both worlds.
"Where the economic power of the UK can have a positive effect, then we will deploy it. And where we can give greater autonomy to our cities and regions, then we will do so.
"This is the approach which we have taken on the other great devolution story of the past four years."
The 220,000 homes and businesses in Scotland are part of two million homes and businesses UK-wide, which now have superfast broadband; that represents four out of five UK properties.
The £1.7 billion Government rollout is delivering superfast access - internet speeds greater than 24 Mbps - to those properties not covered by existing commercial networks and is on track to take superfast access to 95 per cent of the UK by 2017.
Britain already leads the EU "big five" nations when it comes to superfast access and take-up and the current UK Government programme will ensure it stays ahead.
Around 80 per cent of the UK already has access to superfast speeds and the rollout is currently reaching an additional 40,000 homes and businesses every week.
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