Plans to spend £18m to improve broadband access in Aberdeenshire will go before councillors next week.
The plans would see a special financial reserve created for to help aid improvements in digital connectivity.
The £18m would be spent over three years with the first £8m expected to be used in 2012/14.
In Aberdeenshire 17% of all addresses, 19,374 premises, have no access to broadband.
A report, which will go before Aberdeenshire Council’s policy and resources committee, states: “The UK lags behind most developed countries in terms of broadband service speed and capacity and within the UK, Scotland’s services are the poorest.
“Access to high speed broadband is essential for economic development and if we are to prevent the premature fragmentation of the energy sector which provides around half of all employment in the north-east.
“It is a prerequisite if public agencies are to operate and provide services more efficiently and it is a vital component of educational and social interaction infrastructure, particularly in rural areas.”
National target speeds in the range of 40-80 Mbps.
The committee will meet at Woodhill House, Aberdeen, on Thursday.
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