ALMOST every Peebles resident has the ability to access superfast broadband, statistics suggest.
Data published by the House of Commons Library shows broadband speeds and superfast availability across Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale, and Tweeddale.
Peebles North and Peebles South are among the parts of the region where more than 90 per cent of lines have the ability to access superfast speeds (defined by Ofcom as 30 Megabits per second (Mbps)).
Joining Peebles North (99.6 per cent) and Peebles South (97.2 per cent) in that bracket are Upper Nithsdale (92.8 per cent), Nunholm (95.7 per cent), Gretna (91 per cent) and three other areas.
Tweeddale MP David Mundell said he is “pleased” that parts of his constituency are ranked so highly on access to superfast broadband.
But he added there are too many places in Tweeddale with poor access.
According to the statistics, Peebles North is in the top 30 per cent of regions in the UK for the ability to access superfast broadband.
And only 3.8 per cent of Peebles North fails to receive “decent” broadband (download speeds of less than 10Mpbs).
At the other end of the scale, residents of Clydesdale South suffer from much poorer access to superfast broadband.
Only 51.7 per cent of lines are capable of accessing superfast speeds, while 46.7 per cent actually have speeds considered worse than decent.
Mr Mundell, of the Conservatives, said: “Good internet connections are vital for individuals and businesses, even more so now when so many people are working from home and in the future as we rebuild the economy after COVID-19.
“Unfortunately there are still too many parts of Tweeddale with poor access to broadband and campaigning to improve that situation remains amongst my highest priorities.”
The House of Common Library provides a definition of what it means by “superfast availability”.
It states: “Superfast availability measures the speeds available to consumers in an area.
“It doesn’t show the proportion of lines that are are actually receiving superfast speeds, because consumers often need to subscribe to specific packages in order to receive superfast speeds.”
You can view all of the data by clicking on this link.