The Connected Nations Report 2019 published by Ofcom has shown that 9% of Borders’ premises get less than 10mb/s download speeds from their broadband connection.
This is significantly worse than Scotland as a whole where only 4% of premises are receiving the slowest speeds.
Similarly, Scottish figures show that almost half of premises (44%) are getting over 300mb/s speeds – known as Ultrafast Broadband – but this figure falls to just 5% in the Scottish Borders, highlighting the problem of rural broadband.
Across the UK 3 million homes now have access to full fibre broadband, offering speeds of up to 1gb/s.
4G mobile connectivity also continues to be a problem with just 42% of Scotland receiving coverage from all operators.
The power to legislate for telecommunications is reserved to the UK Government. However, the Scottish Government leads the practical delivery of broadband in Scotland.
Speaking after reading the report John Lamont MP said: “Poor broadband and mobile signal is one of the most common causes of complaints in the Borders, and rightly so.
“I have worked hard with a number of local communities to secure better rural broadband and have helped hundreds of individuals with broadband problems, but we need real change and fast.
“I welcome the ambitious targets of both the UK and Scottish Governments to help rural areas, but what I am hearing from constituents is that they need action now to keep their businesses running efficiently and allow them to stay connected in their homes.
“I welcome that the Chancellor has pledged £5 billion to support the rollout of gigabit capable broadband in the hardest to reach areas of the country, which will be supported by new legislation to accelerate its delivery to millions of homes.”
