Scottish Rural Parliament: Digital access in Rural and Island places

Dr Megan Palmer spoke about the theme of Digital Place & Space. This was about access to broadband and how much hasn’t really changed for the 25% who were seen as the ‘hardest to reach’. People experiencing social exclusion still have least access. To really make an impact, companies providing internet technologies need to involve local communities to map out what is needed. It’s also important they future-proof whatever they do – good solutions need to be able to change as society changes.

Graham Curran spoke about the Kyles Community Broadband what they have been doing to try and get the 500 properties connected who still weren’t connected after the rollout. They have had lots of challenges with EU procurement & R100 which have both proved not really to be viable options but they have a glimmer of hope with 4g networks after EE installed lots of new masts in the area.

Jo Fernand from Newland Community Development Trust in the Borders spoke about how they have started a project that collects old laptops, tablets etc, fixes them up, repurposes them and then redistributes them within the community.

Then there was a discussion about the barriers and challenges for rural digital access. These included cost, infrastructure, and investment. As well as challenges, it’s clear there’s a huge opportunity for Scotland to make equality of digital inclusion real. The Social Renewal board’s report saying the Scottish parliament should eradicate digital exclusion in the next parliamentary term points to the future of digital inclusion we’re determined to build!

We’ve been finding similar challenges and hopes in our Digital Buddies project, but learning from others’ ideas and experiences is always valuable.

Take a look at upcoming Virtual Scottish Rural Parliament events – and learn from the experiences of communities across Scotland. We’re looking forward to speaking at the event on Social Care on 16th March. Hope to see you there!