Report Highlights Importance of Digital Scotland

Published

22nd November 2010

The Royal Society of Edinburgh recently published its report Digital Scotland, highlighting why Scotland's digital future is a crucial issue, why Scotland needs to act and what needs to be done.

Putting together the report involved a year-long process, engaging with key industry players, users, providers, community groups, government and the public. The findings are that:

  • a Digital Scotland strategy should plan to make a minimum speed of 16Mb/s for all by 2015, and rising to 128Mb/s in 2020;
  • a Digital Scotland Trust should be created to raise finance, procure, operate and maintain the required core infrastructure in the national interest;
  • an optic fibre backbone should be created to bring next-generation speeds to a nationwide network of digital hubs;
  • social hubs, in libraries and other community centres, be provided where internet access and support is available to all.

The report has quantified the capital investment required to create the core fibre backbone infrastrucutre as around £100 million, and looks at innovative funding options which don't use money from the public purse. The report also highlights that what is needed to drive forward Scotland's digital future is in hte hansd of the Scottish Government and local authorities, such as business rates, procurement and planning regulations.

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