A ground-breaking study from Kings College London has shown that Stirling residents are amongst the lowest users of BBC iPlayer in the UK.
The report also showed that Stirling had some of the slowest broadband speeds in the UK with an average of 11.4mb/s which compares to 23.1 mb/s in Edinburgh.
Slow broadband speeds are hindering rural residents from being able to access modern streaming services such as iPlayer or Netflix.
With more public services moving online slow connections are leaving many rural residents unable to gain access and this study shows that more must be done to ensure a universal quality of broadband.
Liz Smith has said that this study highlights the huge divide between Scotland’s digital ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’.
Commenting Liz Smith MSP said:
“With more everyday tasks moving online it’s incredibly important that residents throughout Stirling, Perth and Kinross, Fife and Clackmannanshire are able to access a reliable and fast internet connection.
“This, first of its kind survey, clearly shows that this is not the case, particularly in Stirling, which is ranked the eighth worst when it comes to watching content on BBC iPlayer.
“The lack of iPlayer usage is directly related to the speed of internet connection and slow speeds are clearly impacting residents. There is a real digital divide in Scotland where people in Edinburgh have average speeds more than double that of residents in Stirling.
“The UK Government has been proactive in their approach to create a universal service obligation for internet speeds and I would hope that the Scottish Government can work with partners to ensure that rural residents are not left behind in the digital age.”