Rural Scotland Exodus Blamed on Super-Slow Internet

Forget about the Google level coverage, fiber optics or even standard broadband coverage, rural Scotland has had about enough of sluggish Internet connections. I guess when high speed coverage won’t come to you, you just have to go to it. The Scottish countryside is on the move.

Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead told Scottish Parliament on Wednesday that “[e]vidence is emerging of broadband-led rural depopulation amid concerns that nearly a fifth of homes in the Highlands and Islands” will not have their service upgraded any time soon, The Scotsman reported.

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When you live out in the boonies, information access and communication with the outside world is more important than ever. That access and communication is happening via the internet more and more as each day passes...

Scotland should be hauled before the UN for human rights violations. This kind of tyrannical abuse of citizenry must stop if we want to claim to love in a modern, civilized world. Won't someone think of the children?

Everyone is leaving rural Scotland because the economic and political landscape is changing very rapidly.

Don't know about you but internet access is certainly a factor in where I'll decide to live.

Alyosha said:

Scotland should be hauled before the UN for human rights violations. This kind of tyrannical abuse of citizenry must stop if we want to claim to love in a modern, civilized world. Won't someone think of the children?

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Violation? For what? Midget tossing??
OH, no that is Australia.

The idea that internet access is a human right is why the UN continues to be a world wide running joke.
Human right like access to clean water and freedom from slavery are not as important as being able to watch Miley Cyrus acting strange on YouTube.

Too bad the UN consumes a big chunk of our tax dollars.

Dr. Righteous said:

Violation? For what? Midget tossing??
OH, no that is Australia.

The idea that internet access is a human right is why the UN continues to be a world wide running joke.
Human right like access to clean water and freedom from slavery are not as important as being able to watch Miley Cyrus acting strange on YouTube.

Too bad the UN consumes a big chunk of our tax dollars.

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Your sarcasm meter is broken.

Ashbringer said:

Don't know about you but internet access is certainly a factor in where I'll decide to live.

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A factor, sure. But the overall deciding factor? Not for me. If I could live in "paradise" but have slow internet I definitely think I would choose that over living in say... Kansas City with 1 Gbps connection... in fact fast internet can in no way make a shitty place seem desirable for me.

Dr. Righteous said:

Violation? For what? Midget tossing??
OH, no that is Australia.

The idea that internet access is a human right is why the UN continues to be a world wide running joke.
Human right like access to clean water and freedom from slavery are not as important as being able to watch Miley Cyrus acting strange on YouTube.

Too bad the UN consumes a big chunk of our tax dollars.

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y u so seeryus?

My parents were telling me, that the fiber should be making it's way out to their village in the 3-5 years, they live 6 miles outside a major town. They were on ISDN until 2008, when they were forced to go with ADSL.

The nearest exchange is 1.8 miles away at the next nearest small town.

It's Scotland. They are cheap. And slow.

Methadras said:

It's Scotland. They are cheap. And slow.

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Hoots mon!

A lot of sheep will be very glad.

Although a few will cry. Sicko ewes ...

The internet wins!!!!!

In the city center of Dundee there is no VDSL/Fibre access - although every exchange SURROUNDING the city center has been upgraded...

After a year of going from 100Mbit Down/Up in uni halls, to a 12Mbit Down 1Mbit up ADSL shared between 5, I'm not moving to address that doesn't have at least 50Mbit down 5Mbit up Fibre.

The problem with Scotland is that they aren't located where the major fiber backbones going to the states are. Once you get north of the midlands in England it gets bad fast as the two major undesea transition points are in Ireland and SW England. I doubt Scotland will ever have decent consumer internet because of this.

As it is internet in England blows unless you are near major roadways where the massive fiber backbones run along.

I know this is an old thread and i dont usually necro but I missed it when it was first posted.

I live in aberdeen, the furthest north big city in scotland ( ok inverness is further north but its not a big city ), and it is well supplied with fibre and other broadband services.

I myself am on a 80/20 line atm and am expecting it to rise in 2014.

As for fibre or broadband in the highlands, well if you know the terrain then you would understand why it lacks fast broadband. The houses are well spaced out and you maybe dont have a neighbour for miles and miles and the villages have a few houses, so it isnt viable money wise to upgrade them to uber fast internet.

I know it must be shit to not have great internet connectivity, but when your nearest neighbour is 10 or more miles away and the terrain is mountainous then it is understandable why they lack fast broadband.

As for the exodus, its been happening for years, young folk growing up and moving to the cities, it has nothing to do with broadband, its just that young people want to live somewhere more exciting than in the middle of nowhere, alot goto university and then decide to stay in whatever city and get a job, as jobs are extremely lacking in the scottish countryside especially up north.

The exodus of people fom the highlands is based on jobs and the fact that their is very little housing, so when kids grow up their is no houses for them to move into in the area so they have to move away out of the area.

TLDR;

No Jobs
No Accomodation
No Nightlife
No Higher education facilities

= Exodus

I too am in Aberdeen. I live in the centre, right by the grammar school, and I am in a fibre blackspot. Everywhere around me has fibre, but this little patch does not. Earlier this year I was looking at houses and you don't have to go far outside Aberdeen before ADSL gets patchy.

Quartz-1 said:

I too am in Aberdeen. I live in the centre, right by the grammar school, and I am in a fibre blackspot. Everywhere around me has fibre, but this little patch does not. Earlier this year I was looking at houses and you don't have to go far outside Aberdeen before ADSL gets patchy.

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I take it that you are served by the denburn bt exchange ? If so then it should'nt be too long before a cab near you gets upgraded to FTTC.

I am actually surprised you havent got it already because the denburn exchange was I think one of the first if not thee first exchange to be fibre ready and that was about two years ago.

If I was a betting man I would place money on you being able to get FTTC in 2014, then again it is BT we are speaking about.

I know decent adsl goes as far as inverurie, but I dont know how much further from there that decent adsl is available.

If I was moving house I would do my homework on internet capability at the new place before moving, I couldnt ever go back to shit broadband now and broadband capability/quality would be a big factor in choosing a new house.

The worst I would go back to is 24mbit down and 2 up and that would be at a push.

Anyway I hope you dont have to wait too much longer for FTTC or even FTTP.

Alyosha said:

Scotland should be hauled before the UN for human rights violations. This kind of tyrannical abuse of citizenry must stop if we want to claim to love in a modern, civilized world. Won't someone think of the children?

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I know you're being sarcastic.

The trouble is, I had to read your post a couple of times to ensure that.

Because there are people who say all the same shit seriously.

Why do people like that exist? Can't we use them for food or something?

EVIL-SCOTSMAN said:

TLDR;

No Jobs
No Accomodation
No Nightlife
No Higher education facilities

= Exodus

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TLDR; got more alcoholics than at a reservation, economy went to crap, ran out of booz and sheep, so now the kilt wearing gingers are going to paint their faces blue and invade our shores.