Access to affordable, reliable internet underpins work, learning, health information, and participation in public life.
Reliable connectivity is no longer a niche luxury: it shapes whether people can apply for jobs, attend medical appointments remotely where offered, follow coursework, and stay in touch with family and friends.
This campaign argues that Scotland should treat affordable, dignified access as part of the baseline expectations we have for housing, transport, and utilities—while celebrating community-led models that show what is possible when people organise around shared infrastructure.
The Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme, worth up to £5,000 towards a faster connection, closes to new applications on 20 November 2026. In Aberdeenshire alone, 2,089 premises are still eligible and have not used it.
WIRES has sent its submission to the Competition and Markets Authority's inquiry into BT's purchase of TalkTalk, asking that any approval protects prices, guarantees access to a social tariff and recognises the greater effect in rural Scotland. The full text is here. Comments closed on 9 October; the CMA reports by 19 October.
We read the published digital strategies of Scotland's 32 councils. Of the 24 we could verify, only Glasgow has a standalone strategy on digital exclusion. In 22, it is a theme inside a plan about the council's own services. Eight we couldn't confirm.
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