A frustrated Fife villager, who works as a telecoms engineer, could face a wait of up to three years for superfast broadband despite most of his street being upgraded to much better wi-fi.
Barry Cruickshank, 56, from Blairhall, Fife, has no clue why his home has not yet been covered in the rollout of the SNP’s national R100 programme.
The scheme – initially aimed to be completed by 2021 – has been bogged down by delays after the initial target date was not met.
The flagship project’s goal is to ensure all Scottish homes and businesses can access superfast internet even when it is not commercially profitable.
Mr Cruickshank hoped his broadband would be updated when he saw workers installing new cables on his street earlier this year.
But he has since been on a fruitless search for answers as to why his house was one of 16 ignored on a road with more than 100 homes.
‘I haven’t a scooby’
The Fife villager said he was told there is no guarantee his wi-fi will be improved before the end of 2026.
He told us: “They’ve done the whole of the village, apart from 16 houses on my street. Unfortunately I’m in one of those 16 houses.
“I haven’t a scooby why. I’ve been on a Twitter campaign trying to get someone to give me an answer.
“It doesn’t make any sense.”
Mr Cruickshank added: “There doesn’t seem to be any direct point of contact.
“You get told you will be in the plan, but that it could take up to 2026.
“Why am I potentially waiting three years when everyone else in the village has been upgraded? The capability is there.”
It’s understood a number of different upgrade schemes – including commercial projects – have been taking place on the street where Mr Cruickshank lives.
Yet houses being covered as part of the R100 rollout appear to have been left behind while nearby neighbours benefit from improved wi-fi.
Telecoms firm Openreach confirmed there had not been any R100 build on the street yet, but said commercial installations were ongoing.
Two years ago, it emerged the R100 scheme may not now be finished in full until 2026, despite previous promises from SNP ministers.
It was later warned the programme’s completion may be held back by a further year beyond that, a decade after it was first unveiled by the government.
Rural affairs chief Mairi Gougeon blamed the UK Government for missed targets since Westminster has powers over broadband regulation.
Fife Labour Councillor Graeme Downie, who is standing in Dunfermline and Dollar at the next UK election, said the delays in Blairhall were “not acceptable”.
He told us: “This is yet another example where the SNP has failed to deliver for people in Dunfermline and Dollar.
“They have been floundering around since 2017 trying to bring basic fast broadband to rural Scotland but the project is now running at least seven years late.”
“Technology moves quickly and it is not acceptable that people in Blairhall and across West Fife and Clackmannanshire are left without adequate broadband.”
He added: “This is another example of the Scottish Government not caring about rural communities. These people are being allowed to slip through the cracks.”
Mid Scotland and Fife Tory MSP Murdo Fraser said: “This anomaly sums up the SNP’s failures to deliver on their flagship R100 broadband programme.
“It beggars belief that a resident in the same street cannot enjoy the same superfast broadband connections as his neighbours a few doors away.
“Having access to the best connectivity is vital for boosting economic growth and encouraging people to come and live in communities in Fife.”
Three years ago, we revealed superfast coverage in Fife had increased from 52.9% of households in January 2014 to 96.3%.
Last year, it emerged the SNP had failed to meet a key deadline for connecting up to 4,000 houses, including in Perthshire and Angus.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Some 3,057 premises across Fife and Clackmannanshire can already receive future-proofed gigabit-capable broadband speeds as part of the Reaching 100% contracts, with many more connections to come.
“The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring more rural homes and businesses can access faster broadband.
“Despite telecoms legislation being reserved to the UK Government, more than £600 million is being invested in the Scottish Government’s R100 contracts, providing access to faster and more reliable broadband to around 114,000 homes and businesses where it is needed most.”
An Openreach spokesperson said: “We’re investing in full fibre in many areas of Fife and we do have some commercial deployment in the New Oakley exchange area.
“Our commercial plans run until the end of 2026, so we’d usually advise people to check our website to see what’s available.”
Conversation