Broadband commitment

THE SCOTTISH government will investigate if government funding could be made available to contribute towards repair cost of the damaged Shefa-2 fibre optic cable, according to Shetland MSP Tavish Scott.

The LibDem politician made the case for better broadband security during a debate in the Scottish parliament on Wednesday.

Customers of AOL and Talk Talk have been without broadband and telephone services since 28 December 2013 after the Faroese cable was again damaged.

Repair work is said to be under way after the French cable laying ship Ile d’Aix arrived off the south cost of Orkney.

Government minister Paul Wheelhouse undertook to investigate what action could be taken to protect these vital links, including whether the Bellwin formula could be used to cover some of the repair cost.

Scott said: “The Bellwin formula provides financial support to local authorities dealing with disasters and emergencies by allowing councils to reimburse some of the immediate costs through special grants.

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“In many cases local authorities can use this scheme to help with the high costs of damage caused by adverse weather conditions such as flooding and high winds.

It could be that this scheme could help depending on the circumstances of the damage. It is at least worth exploring.

“There are also serious issues which need to be considered about how best to protect these connections in the future given their vital importance to Shetland.”