Edinburgh Napier University

  This chapter discusses new policymaking scenarios in rural broadband and digital services that have opened now that the UK is no longer subject to the EU regulatory framework that has thus far driven rural digitisation. One advantage is that there may be opportunities to better support community broadband networks and other small providers who, so far, have struggled to benefit from public subsidies despite their proven contribution to reducing the rural-urban digital divide in the UK. On the other hand, leaving the EU could expose the UK’s rural economies to new risks and challenges, especially if no regulatory interventions are put in place to mitigate market distortions in the development and provision of digital technologies. This clearly demonstrates how a ‘one size fits all’ policy can fail to adequately address rural challenges, thereby undermining rural sustainability.