A national plan for rural Scotland
Annabelle Ewing’s SNP strategy for a Scottish National Rural Connectivity Taskforce puts rural communities at the centre of economic recovery. It calls for dependable connections for farms, businesses, schools, health services and households, with investment directed where national averages conceal serious gaps. In Ochil and South Perthshire, Ewing’s case begins with rural experience and builds to a national scale.
Australia offers a useful comparison, not a copy-and-paste model. Its large cities and remote regions share one national communications market, exposing the tension Scotland faces between competitive investment and universal access. Ewing’s legal career and previous parliamentary service prepared her to press for practical policy, while her commitment to Scottish independence sets a long-term objective: control over decisions affecting connectivity, growth and public services.
A national strategy with local delivery
The proposed taskforce would connect national leadership with local knowledge rather than treating connectivity as a purely technical rollout. Its remit should include infrastructure, affordability, service quality and public access.
| Issue | Scottish starting point | Australian comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Geography | Highland and island areas, rural mainland communities | Pilbara, Outback and remote coastal regions |
| Market | Fixed, mobile and satellite services with uneven competition | NBN, national mobile networks, regional and satellite suppliers |
| Daily use | Work, farming, learning and telehealth | Maps, banking, remote work and schooling |
| Policy | Devolved programmes within a UK regulatory system | Federal and state programmes under telecommunications law |
Australia shows why a market-first argument is insufficient. Coverage can exist on paper while households face expensive plans, weak capacity or slow repairs. The taskforce should publish settlement-level results, require local participation and judge success through reliable service and affordability, not merely the number of sites connected.
Connection as essential public infrastructure
A broadband service is now part of the infrastructure on which communities depend. Farmers need market and monitoring data; small firms need cloud tools and card payments; patients need appointments; and residents need timely public information. Poor connections can weaken productivity and deepen isolation, especially where buses and trains are less frequent.
Access also requires trusted places and trained support. Ewing’s save local libraries campaign is part of the same argument: public libraries can provide devices, Wi-Fi, digital skills and a welcoming destination when home broadband fails. Keeping libraries open protects a vital bridge between infrastructure investment and people who cannot afford every private service.
Designing the taskforce for accountability
A strong taskforce needs a clear mandate and a public scorecard. Ewing’s SNP approach should bring together the Scottish Government, local authorities, community groups, network providers, the UK regulator and Scotland’s economic and public-service leaders. Each meeting should focus on named problems, assigned actions and deadlines rather than broad discussion.
National coordination should not erase local variation. Island, remote mainland and accessible rural communities may need different technologies, from fibre and fixed wireless to satellite. A rural proofing panel should test every major plan for resilience, value, local skills and the risk of leaving smaller settlements behind. Data from Ofcom and providers should be open enough for scrutiny.
Lessons from Australian communities
Australian cities such as Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane show the value of dense fibre and 5G, but national averages hide the experience of towns in the Pilbara, central Australia and the Outback. Distance, sparse populations and difficult terrain make commercial networks expensive, while remote First Nations communities need solutions designed with local organisations.
Everyday habits reveal the true cost of a weak service. Australians commonly use smartphones for maps, banking, telehealth, school communications and flexible work. Families may share one connection, older residents may value face-to-face help, and a drop in speed can affect a whole household when several people are online. Community libraries and rural hubs consequently remain important, just as they are in parts of Scotland.
The Australian market also shows where policy must fill gaps. NBN has transformed fixed-line access in many areas, while Telstra, Optus, regional providers and satellite operators serve mobile and remote markets. The Telecommunications Act 1997 provides the national legal framework for universal-service and consumer protections, and state schemes such as NSW’s Remote Connectivity Program illustrate how targeted funding can supplement commercial investment. Scotland should watch outcomes carefully, including outages, affordability and regional coverage, instead of treating rollout headlines as success.
A practical package of priorities
The taskforce should turn broad ambition into six measurable commitments:
- Set rural service standards covering speed, latency, reliability, repair times and support, with higher expectations for critical sites such as health centres and schools.
- Map every connection notspot annually, publishing settlement-level data that residents, councils and providers can challenge.
- Fund resilient networks, including backup power and maintained community hubs, while matching each technology to actual geography and demand.
- Make affordability a core measure by supporting simple social tariffs and preventing low-income households from being stranded on inadequate plans.
- Give local councils, colleges and small Scottish firms a meaningful role in procurement so investment builds local skills and supplier capacity.
- Require independent outcome reviews tied to social and economic goals, including employment, business growth and access to essential services.
These commitments would give the taskforce teeth. They also create evidence for wider political change: Scotland needs stronger fiscal and regulatory control, and Ewing’s record at Westminster supports a campaign that connects everyday connectivity with the case for independence and economic recovery.
Back a connected Scotland
Ewing’s campaign starts with communities in Ochil and South Perthshire and carries their concerns nationally. Local knowledge can identify the street without fibre, the library needing digital support and the business held back by an unreliable upload. The taskforce can turn those examples into funding, standards and enforceable deadlines.
Support Ewing’s campaign, volunteer in your community and share the case for a national rural connectivity taskforce. Ask candidates and decision-makers what they will do for rural households, then demand a plan measured by dependable access, fair prices and stronger local services. Connected communities will be essential to Scotland’s economic recovery and democratic strength.