NICOLA Sturgeon has launched a £9 million programme to fund broadband in rural areas modelled on a successful community-led project that is already running in Argyll.

The First Minister announced the Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP) grant scheme at Oban’s Phoenix Cinema, which has already received SRDP support, and where a new wi-fi tourist information kiosk has been installed.

GigaPlus Argyll, the model for the new initiative, is a ground-breaking scheme where eight island and mainland communities in hard-to-reach areas united to procure superfast broadband services from commercial operators.

Sturgeon said that the Scottish Government was more than halfway towards achieving its target for superfast broadband delivery under the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) Programme.

“The social and economic benefits are clear, as demonstrated by this innovative and accessible wi-fi tourist information kiosk in Oban’s Phoenix Cinema,” she said.

“This SRDP funding will help communities in the hardest-to-reach broadband areas follow in the footsteps of the pioneering GigaPlus Argyll project, and work together to bring superfast services to homes and businesses.

“This scheme takes the available funding for community broadband projects up to £16.5m in Scotland, over and above the £400m DSSB investment.

“It is another step to achieving the Scottish Government’s aim of delivering world-class connectivity by 2020 and enabling people across Scotland to connect any time, any place, anywhere, using any device.”

The SRDP 2014-2020 broadband grant scheme will be delivered by Community Broadband Scotland (CBS), whose director Zoe Laird praised the GigaPlus Argyll as a “great example of an innovative business model”.

Moray Finch, chairman of GigaPlus Argyll, added: “By getting together with CBS, we have been successful in securing tenders and appointing a company specialising in the installation and operation of wireless superfast broadband which will deliver affordable services to 1,400 homes and businesses, opening up huge opportunities for us.”

Calum Ross, vice-chair of Argyll and the Isles Tourism Cooperative (AITC), said the group was “acutely aware” of the importance of superfast broadband and mobile coverage, which would help grow tourism across the area.

“Innovative solutions are vital in our remote rural areas, and our kiosks are a prime example of this as is GigaPlus Argyll,” he said.

“We are also very keen to ensure that businesses are geared up to make the most of superfast broadband when it is available, to help meet the needs of their own businesses and also, most importantly, the needs of their customers.

“We have a great capacity-building resource in place locally through our team of development agents and we are looking forward to helping local groups of tourism businesses take advantage of the support the new SRDP can offer for community solutions in the more remote rural areas in Argyll and the Isles.”

Louise Glen, director of the Phoenix Cinema added: “The Phoenix already has wi-fi which is hugely popular with local customers and tourists, but superfast broadband will make a massive difference to our cinema.

“It will make it much easier and faster for us to access the latest releases, as well as enabling us to screen live-streamed events. I know that superfast infrastructure is currently being installed in Oban and we can’t wait to get connected.”

The Culture, Media and Sport Committee at Westminster has launched an inquiry into the coverage, delivery and performance of superfast broadband across the UK.

It came after Ofcom, the communications regulator, revealed that Scotland was still lagging behind the rest of the UK in its availability, with only 73 per cent of premises able to receive it, compared to a national figure of 83 per cent.