Push for free access to UK government websites without using your data
Key Points
- Consumer Scotland wants essential public service websites zero-rated
- One in six Scottish adults lacks basic digital skills
- 65% of people eligible for social tariffs don't know about them
- The watchdog wants more affordable devices and data in Scotland
Consumer Scotland has called for essential public service websites to be zero-rated so people can visit them without using mobile data.
Zero-rating means visits to a website do not count towards a customer’s data allowance.
The watchdog asked the UK Government and Ofcom to take prompt action on the change.
Audit Scotland found that 15% of adults in Scotland, around one in six, lack basic digital skills such as connecting to the internet or updating a password.
It also found that 9% of Scottish households have no internet access at all.
Ofcom research found that 7% of fixed broadband customers and 5% of mobile users struggled to afford their service in October 2025.
Around 26% of consumers took action to deal with the cost of their phone and broadband bills, including cutting services and missing payments.
The number of fixed broadband social tariffs rose from three in 2020 to more than 30 by December 2025.
Around 532,000 people used a broadband or mobile social tariff in June 2025, up from 55,000 in January 2022.
Ofcom estimates that 65% of people eligible for social tariffs still do not know they exist.
The Scottish Government’s Connecting Scotland programme supported more than 61,000 households with devices, connections and skills between May 2020 and December 2021.
Funding for the programme has since fallen.
Consumer Scotland called on the Scottish Government to boost access to affordable devices and affordable data, and free data where necessary.
It also wants Scottish public service reforms tested with users and built with assisted digital support from the start.
“Telecommunications services are essential to how people access healthcare, education, banking, work opportunities and vital public services,” said Fraser Stewart, Head of Consumer Markets at Consumer Scotland.
