Faster Broadband For Fife Businesses

Charities and businesses in Fife are being offered grants to pay for faster broadband.

Fife Council are offering the vouchers in conjunction with BDUK - a Westminster broadband delivery scheme - and Edinburgh City council. They will pay for installation costs. Faster internet speeds allow for new technology to be taken advantage of, and for companies to become more efficient. 28 companies have taken advantage so far.

Depute Council Leader Lesley Laird, spokesperson for Economy and Planning said the initiative is a great way to encourage businesses to look at the benefits that can come from faster connection.

"I hope even more Fife businesses will take up the offer of grant funding to boost their business connectivity. There are also a number of different providers to choose from giving businesses a wealth of choice" She added.

"There are a number of benefits to local companies from having access to better broadband including better communication with customers and staff and improved reliability of service. It’s also one of the ways the council is working with the business community to realise our aspiration of making Fife the best place to do business."

Duncan Mitchell from FEAT Trading CIC, Silverburn Estate, in Leven said the scheme was "ideal" for his firm" after opening a new office,

He said: "[This] comes with a variety of set-up costs that can build-up quite considerably, so getting help and advice with the broadband installation was invaluable. I had been researching options prior to learning about the scheme, and I was going to opt for another package but this scheme has enabled us to get a much better deal and everything was installed very quickly.”

Dunfermline-based solicitor Michael Maloco, of Maloco Associates added that his firm's broadband speed was becoming an issue with an increasing workload.

"With so much now done online and with a need to be uploading large files and photographs as well as download legal documents etc we had effectively outstripped the standard bandwidth.

"Potentially this could have affected client service which is all important to us. Thankfully our telecoms consultants 9 Dots Communications drew our attention to the grant funding available and assisted us in all aspects of the application. I am delighted that we were accepted as a recipient of the funding and I am sure it will allow us to work more efficiently and be of assistance to all who interact with us online and via our website. The providers deserve great credit for their foresight and for making these funds available.”