Scottish government announces digital strategy

Aims to get Scotland fully connected to next-generation broadband by 2020

The Scottish government has outlined plans to improve uptake of broadband across the country, as well as foster increased participation in digital activities, in a report entitled Scotland's Digital Future.

"There is a clear role for the public sector in realising Scotland's digital future," said Scottish culture minister Fiona Hyslop.

The report coincides with the release of £1.5m by the Scottish government to fund activities throughout 2011 designed to increase the uptake and use of fast broadband, including moves to get more businesses online.

The report outlines plans to get Scotland fully connected to next-generation broadband by 2020, with an aim to at least match or overtake the UK uptake average.

To secure the best possible share of the coalition's £830m super-fast broadband war chest, Scotland will be working with local authorities and other stakeholders to develop a strategic infrastructure plan for Scotland.

Further to this, plans to develop an online portal for Scottish public information and services are under way, and a beta site is set for launch by the summer.

Despite these moves, CIVIC, an independent creative digital agency, believes Scotland's digital plans are still missing some key elements.

"We would expect to see a move towards simplification, automation and a reduction in duplication [within the strategy] but this principle is nowhere to be found," said CIVIC managing director, Greig Tosh.

"We are also concerned that there is no indictment of the monolithic technology agreements that have dogged the public sector for years. The same agreements that have locked local authorities and government agencies into paying hyper-inflated costs," he added.

"We would like to see more cost transparency on public sector ICT, and we believe this would open the way for more responsive, cost-effective solutions from Scotland's smaller IT firms."

Tosh also criticised the Scottish government for overlooking open source.

"It's an achievement to write 50 pages of a national digital strategy without even mentioning open source," he said.

"Open source – the ability to view and adapt code which you have the right to use because it is either free or available through a licence – should surely be a requirement for any government seeking to be in charge of its own destiny," he added.

"It's not just about freedom from corporate control either: the open source movement is happily aligned with volunteerism, community and citizenship, ideas which are bandied about a lot elsewhere in government, but not so much in this digital strategy."