Nicola Sturgeon is facing calls to extend a broadband voucher scheme after less than 1% of eligible properties applied for the cash support.
The initiative, which is due to come to an end next week, offers a subsidy of up to £400 towards the broadband connections in remote and rural areas.
The R100 interim vouchers are available to those with speeds less than 30Mbps, and in areas where superfast broadband roll-out is planned but is still to be delivered.
New figures obtained by the Scottish Conservatives show a tiny fraction of those eligible have applied.
In Aberdeenshire, 119 of the interim vouchers had been sought or delivered, just 0.72% of those entitled, according to the Tories.
The figure for Highland was 53, an uptake rate of 0.36%, while in Moray it was 33, or 0.63%, and in Aberdeen there was just one case, or 0.02%.
Not a single application came from Dundee City, despite 781 properties being eligible, while there were 13 in Angus, a rate of 0.19%, just 11 in Fife, which represented 0.21% of those who could have accessed the cash, and there were 96 in Perth and Kinross, or 1.11%.
‘This is a very low watermark’
Aberdeenshire West MSP Alexander Burnett said: “If Kate Forbes doesn’t extend the scheme, it will go down as one of the least successful parts of the R100 scheme. This is a very low watermark.
“Although the main voucher remains – for now – that is intended to pick up the places which R100 won’t ever reach.
“Uptake for that scheme is similarly low, but time is of the essence for people in communities to apply for the interim voucher.
“This is an excellent opportunity to pursue bespoke solutions and pool resources, and the SNP-Green government should be shouting about this from the rooftops.
“We should all want these places connected now.”
Jamie Stone, Liberal Democrat MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, also questioned the uptake of the vouchers.
“First my constituents miss out on high-speed broadband, then they miss out on the scheme to help those who miss out on high-speed broadband,” he said.
“People in the Highlands are being short-changed by an SNP government which struggles to look beyond the end of its own nose.
“Good quality internet is essential for starting businesses, securing a good education and even attending medical appointments in remote and rural corners of Scotland.
“With the cost-of-living crisis spiking, The Scottish Government need to re-open this scheme and ensure that my constituents don’t miss out on financial support that could make a huge difference.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Since launch in September 2020, the R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme (SBVS) has delivered over 1,600 connections. As a demand-led scheme it is ultimately a decision for members of the public whether to secure their connection in this way.
“The interim portion of SBVS was extended by three months to 31 March 2022, to provide more time for people to access a temporary superfast broadband connection, while contract build progresses.
“The main voucher – worth up to £5,000 – will remain available beyond 31 March 2022, ensuring those who will not benefit from the R100 contract build or commercial build have the support to access a superfast broadband connection.”