Liz Smith, Scottish Conservative MSP for Mid Scotland & Fife has welcomed the announcement that 39,000 homes and businesses in Scotland will be able to get faster broadband by the summer thanks to a £410 million Digital Scotland Partnership. Communities across Mid Scotland & Fife including Perth, Tayport Leuchars, Ceres, Cupar, Almondbank, Methven, Invergowrie and Scone will be able to access fibre broadband services at speeds of up to 80Mbps* by Summer 2014 as BT engineers deploy the technology in these areas. Liz Smith, Scottish Conservative MSP for Mid Scotland & Fifesaid: “It is welcome news that at long last homes and businesses will be able to access fibre broadband services offering speeds of up to 80 megabytes per second. “Good digital connectivity can bring real opportunities to residents, businesses, the public sector and visitors especially in rural communities. “It is important that this technology and infrastructure is made available to homes and businesses across rural Scotland and I have sought to lobby Ministers to prioritise investment for rural communities. I will continue to make the case for additional investment for broadband for other communities across Mid Scotland & Fife. "Businesses and residents alike often depend on quick reliable broadband and will reap the benefits of this funding, providing an economic boost to the area and creating new employment opportunities. It is therefore important that the improvements are delivered as soon as possible. “The announcement is the result of cross working between both of Scotland’s Governments and just demonstrates how working together we can bring forward key investments in our infrastructure.” UK Culture Minister Ed Vaizey MP added: “The £100.8 million that the UK Government has provided to Digital Scotland will help take superfast broadband to some of the most remote locations in the country, who would otherwise be left in the digital slow lane. The UK already does more business online than any other European country and widespread access to superfast speeds will provide a welcome boost to the Scottish economy.”