NEWS RELEASE For Immediate Use 13 October 2009c TAYSIDE EXCHANGES MUST BE UPGRADED Telephone exchanges that are full or near full to capacity in Tayside must be upgraded: that is the call from MSP Murdo Fraser after he received a parliamentary answer that maps out which exchanges in Angus and Perth & Kinross are at full capacity and blocking broadband expansion. In a parliamentary question to the Enterprise Minister Jim Mather MSP, Murdo asked the SNP Government to list all of the telephone exchanges in Angus and Perth & Kinross which are at full capacity for broadband. In response, Jim Mather stated: “BT has confirmed that, as of 3 September 2009, the telephone exchanges in Angus which are at full capacity for broadband are Fern and Menmuir; and that the exchange in Perth & Kinross which is at full capacity for broadband is Strathardle. “The Scottish Government announced on 23 September 2009 that it has agreed with BT a programme of upgrade work for exchanges to resolve the capacity issues currently being experienced.” The announcement on the 23 September by BT stated that around 50 exchanges serving remote and rural areas in Scotland will benefit from a £3million upgrade to increase access to broadband. Murdo believes that communities in Angus and Perthshire should be among the first to benefit from the upgrades. Commenting, Murdo said: “The SNP Government have confirmed that there are telephone exchanges in Angus and Perth & Kinross that are now at full capacity. In Angus, the Fern and Menmuir exchanges are full and the Strathardle exchange in Perthshire is also at full capacity, meaning that these areas are being denied any broadband expansion. Not only are these exchanges at full capacity, other exchanges in Angus and Perthshire are near full capacity and this is holding back households and local businesses that require broadband. “We must see increased capacity in our telephone exchanges in Angus and Perthshire and our local area must be a priority for the SNP Government. Over the last month, a number of constituents and local businesses have got in touch with me and raised problems accessing broadband, either due to their distance from telephone exchanges or lack of capacity. “It is clear that Angus and Perthshire are being held back and the SNP Government must act and sort out broadband connectivity. It is a disgrace that our cities are getting offered faster and faster broadband when areas in Tayside still can not even access the technology. “We must see more residents and businesses in Angus and Perthshire benefit from a broadband service which people in most areas of Scotland already take for granted. Parts of Tayside are being left completely behind and unable to obtain a service and I will continue to campaign until we see the upgrades to broadband availability that we expect in our area.” ENDS   back to top of page