Highland Perthshire residents are prone to wait “a lot of years” earlier than superfast broadband is put in of their space regardless of a authorities promise for completion final spring.
That was the evaluation from Audit Scotland when it revealed its newest R100 (Reaching 100 per cent) broadband scheme replace report final week.
Many within the space may even be with out it till as late as 2027.
The findings additionally reveal that Perth and Kinross presently has the slowest common broadband pace within the central space (made up of 20 native authority areas) at round 45Mb/s.
It trails behind Fife and Angus, with Dundee displaying to have the quickest common broadband within the nation at over 120Mb/s.
Solely 5 of Scotland’s 32 council areas presently have slower common broadband speeds than Perth and Kinross.
Some 107,000 eligible properties in Scotland are nonetheless with out superfast broadband regardless of the SNP’s 2016 Holyrood manifesto promising it might “ship 100 per cent protection” to each house and enterprise in Scotland by spring 2021.
Underneath the Scottish Authorities’s £600 million R100 challenge fewer than one in each 400 eligible houses within the north of Scotland underneath the scheme - which partially covers Highland Perthshire - designed to attach properties with out superfast web have up to now been linked.
Audit Scotland warned that connecting the extra rural premises can be “massively difficult” as they have been largely within the hardest to achieve places with troublesome terrain.
The awarding of the contracts to ship improved infrastructure has been hit by a number of delays, with the deal for the north of the nation not agreed till December 2020.
There are 59,276 eligible properties within the north part of the nation underneath the R100 programme however by the tip of final 12 months simply 145 - 0.2 per cent - had been linked.
“The pandemic has proven that a quick and dependable broadband connection is a necessary utility,” mentioned Stephen Boyle, auditor common for Scotland.
“However there may be nonetheless work to do to attach or improve round 100,000 houses and companies as a part of the Scottish Authorities’s plans.
“Infrastructure work, notably within the Highlands and Islands will proceed for a lot of years.
“These are properties within the hardest to achieve places with troublesome terrain, making it an enormous problem for presidency and its companions.”
Two native Conservative politicians have slammed the delay within the flagship R100 broadband scheme rollout.
Highland ward councillor John Duff and Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Murdo Fraser each expressed concern on the influence that is having on residents and companies in Highland Perthshire.
Cllr Duff mentioned: “The six-year delay in delivering R100 is one more failure in a protracted record of SNP Authorities failures.
“My constituents in Highland Perthshire dwell in one of many worst affected areas of Scotland.
“These delays are having a detrimental influence on rural residents particularly, together with many native companies making an attempt to make a dwelling on their ‘superslow’ broadband service, households making an attempt to deal with an insufficient service the place adults are working from house and their youngsters want on-line entry to check, and a few who've needed to resort to very costly different options to get the promised superfast web entry they want.”
Mr Fraser added: “It's a damning indictment of this ‘flagship’ scheme to seek out out that it has been delayed till no less than 2027 – six years after it was initially because of be accomplished.
“But once more, the folks of Scotland have been failed by this SNP Authorities as they promised the scheme would attain each house and enterprise throughout the nation by 2021, but it surely has been beset by issues, together with a protracted authorized dispute.
“Poor broadband, or lack of broadband, continues to be one of many foremost points constituents contact me about and it's notably dangerous in Highland Perthshire, the place there's a massive share of rural properties and companies. These constituents deserve quick, dependable broadband these days.’’
A spokesperson for the Scottish Authorities mentioned “wonderful progress” had been made in delivering advanced digital infrastructure initiatives.
“The projected completion date and value of the R100 North contract displays the dimensions of the engineering problem of delivering full-fibre broadband to Scotland’s hardest-to-reach communities,” they added.