Blog: Level up Scotland's virtual bridges
by Lucy Higginson, David Hume Institute
29th October 2021
Many of us evolved into screen junkies over the course of the pandemic. Ofcom found that the average adult spent over 6 hours a day watching TV and online video during the first lockdown. Demand for streaming services rocketed, and there was a massive rise in use of Zoom, Microsoft Teams and new apps like HouseParty as people adapted behaviours to socialise, learn, work and care online.
Without the internet and the ability for organisations of all scales to pivot to online working, the pandemic would have been far more disruptive. Experts acknowledge that if this had happened ten years ago or even five, the impact on our lives and the economy would have been far greater.
As part of the David Hume Institute’s research conversations for the Action Project, we heard from young people about new opportunities at home that they hadn’t imagined before. Staying at home to study has lowered costs and other pressures for some students. The Stay Local orders meant they could keep their support networks without fear of being judged for not flying the nest.
Will the pandemic change the old rite of passage of leaving home to study? Online learning has shown that you can study anywhere - you just need a reliable internet connection.
As part of the David Hume Institute’s commissioned research, A Scotland of Better Places, the Rural Youth Project shared insights of what is most important for young people in rural Scotland. Housing, transport, employment and education opportunities all came out unsurprisingly high - but an eye-watering 98% cited digital connectivity as critical to their future. Currently, only 13% currently have access to high-speed broadband.
For many people operating businesses in rural areas, reliable broadband is their biggest issue. Turning on a camera for a Zoom meeting can require a coordinated shut down of all other devices. If you want good sound, many can’t have a picture too. As business moves increasingly online, unless we dramatically accelerate rollout of superfast broadband across the country, levelling up will remain a pipe dream - without the pipes.
Our places and the infrastructure we need to connect them have changed fundamentally. The mass realisation of what the internet can do means people’s priorities have changed. People are no longer tied to cities as they were before. Many have moved closer to family or are planning to do so in the near future.
But with this great opportunity, we are also facing great inequality.
We heard through A Scotland of Better Places about Balquhidder. Village volunteers worked for years to bring broadband to the village, finally resorting to digging the ditch and laying the cable themselves after years of fundraising. This included European LEADER funding. Other villages would struggle to follow this route without community capacity and with EU funds fast drying up. Replacement UK Levelling Up funds appear to have very different infrastructure priorities.
The rollout of superfast broadband is fundamental to economic recovery from Covid. Good broadband connection is now intrinsically linked with all aspects of people’s lives and livelihoods. The UK and Scottish Governments must work together to make rollout happen faster as the current timetable is far too slow.
The full picture of the UK Government’s new infrastructure priorities are beginning to emerge - the first announcements for the Levelling Up fund showing some unexpected projects. The Fraser of Allander Institute’s examination of criteria shows puzzling inclusion and exclusion of criteria for different parts of the UK. The focus for politicians remains stuck on traditional infrastructure like bridges and roads, rather than the critical high speed virtual connections the final 5% of Scotland is crying out for.
