High-speed broadband access in Scotland is competing with a number of rival projects for government money.

Business and economy editor at BBC Scotland Douglas Fraser noted that in the current tough economic environment, policymakers are unable to invest in the rollout of broadband infrastructure across the country as well as funding other initiatives.

Construction of a new Forth crossing, plus the development of a new tram network in Edinburgh, are among the other schemes which are currently battling it out for state support, Mr Fraser commented.

He pointed out that most of Scotland currently has access to speeds of 0.5Mb/s, but that this is too slow to support the likes of BBC iPlayer or fast music downloads.

This is also "a brake on efficient business links", he added.

His comments come in the wake of a report from Reform Scotland, which called for the government to spend £200 million on improving the reach and speed of broadband north of the border.

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