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Slow Dumfries and Galloway broadband slammed by MP
David Mundell said the internet services available in the region are unacceptable.
Speaking to the Dumfries and Galloway Standard, the politician - a long-time campaigner for improved broadband provision in the area - insisted it is not acceptable for connectivity in the region to be so "poor".
"It is absolutely vital, not just for local business, but for local residents that we get decent broadband connection for access to online services, education and entertainment," Mr Mundell stated.
His comments come in the wake of a study from Ofcom, which revealed Dumfries and Galloway is among the worst parts of the UK in terms of broadband access.
According to the research, compiled by the regulator for the publication of the country's first interactive fixed broadband coverage map, the region's average broadband speed is 6.1Mbps - well below the UK-wide figure of 7.5Mbps.
Zero per cent of homes and businesses in the area can connect to a super-fast broadband service, while 15 per cent are stuck with speeds of less than 2Mbps.
Only 59 per cent of the local population is signed up to receive broadband, compared with 65 per cent across the whole of Scotland and 68 per cent throughout the UK.
While Dumfries and Galloway is lagging in the speed stakes, other parts of Scotland fared well in the Ofcom study, with Edinburgh, East Renfrewshire and East Dunbartonshire all awarded the top rating by the regulator.
Edinburgh was found to have the fastest broadband in the UK with an average capacity of 10.1Mbps, narrowly ahead of second-placed Bristol with 9.9Mbps.
Both cities also had the lowest proportion of people receiving less than 2Mbps speeds, with just 4.5 per cent of users in each location stuck with one of these connections.
"We hope that this information will stimulate further rollout of broadband infrastructure and better performance for households and businesses," said Ofcom chief executive Ed Richards.