£5 million web boost for country

PEOPLE living in North Lanarkshire’s rural communities could be surfing the web a lot faster thanks to a £5 million national fund.

The Community Broadband Scotland initiative will act as a one-stop-shop for rural community groups, providing them with information and advice to find solutions for broadband delivery in their areas.

A new telephone helpline and website will be made available from October to support the project,

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Communities in North Lanarkshire will also be eligible to apply for seed funding under the initiative to enable them to obtain greater access to the internet.

The first round of funding will focus on supporting a small number of community projects, which will be used as case studies for wider roll out across Scotland.

Meanwhile, MSP for Central Scotland Mark Griffin, who has vigorously campaigned for a better broadband service in Cumbernauld since being elected in 2011, has welcomed investment from BT in some of the town’s problem areas.

The politician, however, is still calling on further action to resolve continuing problems.

For full story, see this week’s Cumbernauld News or Kilsyth Chronicle dated Wednesday, August 15.

What’s your view? Email our newsdesk or call 01236 725578.