Access: Expert Overview - August 2024

Please note: Due to time constraints on the roundtable sessions, this paper does not address issues around the availability of broadband in remote or rural areas or ‘not spots’. It is important that all citizens, across the whole of the UK have the opportunity to access fast and reliable broadband, through fixed line and/or mobile connectivity.

Access to connectivity is fundamental to sustained and purposeful use of the internet. The Covid-19 pandemic made evident that when doors were closed and physical, in-person activity ceased, millions of people were cut off from essential services, community support, as well as their loved ones. 

Access is a critical part of the ‘pointless triangle’ coined by Kat Dixon, during her Fellowship of the Data Poverty Lab:

For the purpose of this roundtable we will focus on two elements of this triangle: Data and Devices. More specifically, affordable and adequate internet connectivity (“data”) and affordable and adequate devices (any connected device to use to access the internet - specifically laptops, tablets and smartphones).

In the Good Things Foundation strategy, our ambition includes that everyone has the internet access they need. We would like to agree this goal for the nation with stakeholders attending the roundtable. 

For a comprehensive overview of the main UK datasets on digital inclusion, see Digital Inclusion: What the main UK datasets tell us, a collaboration with Lloyds Banking Group, Nominet and the University of Liverpool.

Key statistics on people affected by a lack of access to the internet are:

The following section is split into two sections: 

1. Data: affordable and adequate internet connectivity; 
2. Devices: affordable and adequate devices (any connected device to use to access the internet - specifically laptops, tablets and smartphones).

Currently in the UK there are two routes to affordable internet connectivity:

• Low cost: social fixed line broadband to eligible customers (usually targeting people claiming state benefits), low cost packages from commercial providers (usually targeting certain audiences or low usage customers).
• Free routes: National Databank, everyone.connected, JobCentres, schemes from providers (such as Community Fibre), free wifi hotspots, and zero rated websites. 

Low cost connectivity: Broadband social tariffs

The primary availability of low cost connectivity is via broadband social tariffs. Social tariffs are cheaper broadband contracts for citizens claiming Universal Credit, Pension Credit and some other state benefits. They cost between £12 and £25 per month, with an average speed range from 11 mb/s to 150 mb/s; the packages vary, yet in general the higher the price the faster the speed. A few broadband social tariffs are also constrained by geographic area. The tariffs are mostly fixed broadband but there are also mobile social tariffs such as VOXI for Now (£10, 5g, unlimited data, calls and texts). Social tariffs are typically exempt from mid-point price rises and penalties for exiting the contract early. Ofcom maintains a table of social tariffs here. 

The House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee held an inquiry into digital exclusion in 2023. On the topic of broadband social tariffs, the Committee acknowledged that there had been some improvements however the tariffs remained expensive for the most financially vulnerable. They also suggested that internet providers and Ofcom needed to do more to promote social tariffs, highlighting that take-up by eligible customers was very low. 

In December 2023 Ofcom published data on take-up of social tariffs, including by provider. Take-up of social tariffs increased to 380,000 in September 2023, up from 147,000 a year earlier. However, Ofcom points out that ‘awareness among eligible customers remains a challenge. Just over half (55%) of eligible households remain unaware of social tariffs; and while take-up is improving, it remains low as a proportion of all eligible households (8.3%)’.

For the first time, Ofcom published take-up figures for each of the largest providers of broadband social tariffs.

As is the case with all broadband products, VAT on social tariffs is set at 20%. For citizens on very low income this seems both immoral and unethical. Yet the impact on total savings for the current 380,000 people on low incomes would be relatively small, at c. £3-£4 per person / month, or £1,520,000 a month / £18 million a year for everyone currently paying for social tariffs. HM Treasury has previously indicated that applying a cut to VAT on a product based on benefits status would be difficult. A wider question is if the Treasury was losing £18 million a year by setting 0% VAT on broadband social tariffs, could £18m a year be better targeted at a range of digital inclusion activities, through a Digital Inclusion Fund (much like the UK’s Tampon Tax Fund)?

(Note: If there was 100% take-up of social tariffs, and including mobile social tariffs, the VAT revenue per year would be c. £280 million.)

It is contested if broadband social tariffs work. Research by Frontier Economics (Sept 2023) for BT, states that there are 9 million people (living in 8 million households) eligible for social tariffs. Their analysis shows that for some households social tariffs may work, however for people with very low income and for people who are eligible but have a higher income social tariffs are futile. Their research points to the one million eligible working age individuals who live in lower income households and cannot afford any connectivity regardless if social tariffs were reduced further due to the costs of their rent, water, food, and energy. It may be to connect these households, free options must be available. 

The research shows that there are two million working age individuals who are eligible and can afford standard broadband packages, these people are likely to choose a faster or bundled package. 

This leaves around six million low income individuals for whom social tariffs, or low income products, could or do suit their needs. 

Is low take-up a result of poor promotion by broadband and mobile providers, or a result of social tariffs not meeting the needs of the people they are targeting? Some commenters say that accessing social tariffs is unnecessarily difficult and the diversity of offers is confusing. Through Ofcom, the UK Government does have the power to introduce a mandatory, industry-wide social tariff. This is something the former Government decided against.

Broadband and mobile providers do want to provide products that suit low income citizens. They have to balance the investment in subsidising social tariffs or investing in broader, and potentially deeper, digital inclusion interventions. 

Competition does stifle some AltNets who want to offer free, or very low cost connectivity, to citizens experiencing poverty. The UK has a market-driven broadband ecosystem which in general keeps prices low. Could a new Government (interested in ensuring all providers can deliver products to citizens living on very low incomes) match-fund interventions? 

Free Connectivity: National Databank, JobCentres, and Other Interventions

As the Frontier Economics research shows there are around one million people for whom social tariffs are too expensive. This is likely to be an under-estimate, as it is likely that some people in the six million ‘middle group’ are servicing debts or have other costs that have not been taken into account, which means their income is much lower than the modelling Frontier Economics did. Therefore, for all citizens to have access to the internet that they need, free internet for some people and some of the time will be needed. 

The National Databank is a world-first programme providing free mobile connectivity from three mobile providers in the UK (Virgin Media O2, Vodafone, and Three UK). At least 500,000 SIMs are available for people who cannot afford internet connectivity, and are made available via the National Digital Inclusion Network - over 2500 of whom are registered as local Databanks. Over 125,000 people have been supported by the National Databank since April 2022. The initiative sprung out of the urgent rates of digital exclusion and data poverty during the Covid-19 pandemic, and originated from the O2 Innovation Lab and Data Poverty Lab. It is an excellent example of collaboration within a highly competitive market - reaching excluded citizens and building a cross-sector, sustainable model. The National Databank can provide instant connectivity to people in need - showing the flexibility and immediacy of support, rather than having to be persuaded to take up fixed line connectivity (even if it was offered free). Devices from the National Device Bank are all ‘packaged’ with a free sim for connectivity, and a wifi-hotspot (‘mifi’) or a dongle if needed. As 5g rolls out, and the network is available to more geographical areas, it could be that mobile connectivity is a better and more flexible solution than subsidising a fixed-line social tariff. 

Other programmes such as everyone.connected from Vodafone, also provides free sims via charities registered with Vodafone. 

JobCentres provide fully paid-for connectivity (from TalkTalk, at cost) via their Flexible Support Fund. This is based on individual decisions from Work Coaches and the availability of Fund budget at the local level; therefore it is nationally available but with local discretion. During the Covid-19 pandemic connectivity and devices were included as eligible expenditure for Flexible Support Fund for the first time.

Free wifi hotspots are now common in town and city centres - including provision from libraries and private enterprises such as McDonalds.

Zero-rating of essential services and sites began during the pandemic. This is where providers ‘white list’ certain sites so that users can access them, for example on their smartphones, without putting their own data into service. During the pandemic this was particularly helpful for accessing essential information on the NHS website and App. O2 has zero rated more than 60 websites across the UK including the NHS, debt advice, the Samaritans, and domestic abuse support. 

Looking at the evidence, it is likely that one to two million people cannot afford the internet and affordability is a major barrier keeping them offline. Is a patchwork of free mobile connectivity through SIMs from the National Databank, free public wifi, and zero-rating enough to provide essential access to those who cannot afford it?

Re-use Programmes

Good Things Foundation runs the National Device Bank, taking old tech and refurbishing it for people who cannot afford a device of their own. Demand outstrips availability X5. For some they have no device and any device is a gateway to opportunities. For others, they have a low-quality smartphone but for job seeking or for learning, a laptop is required. Others are experiencing that their smartphone is becoming outdated as operating systems are modernising and their device is becoming obsolete.

Re-use of old technology is an obvious approach. Good for the planet and good for people. The National Device Bank focuses on working with large employers and on developing ongoing relationships so that all ‘end of life’ devices are given for re-use through the programme. Deloitte and the London Borough of Redbridge (as examples) have committed to significant volumes of their end-of-life technology for digital inclusion. Old tech is often wasted and only appropriate for stripping down for parts and precious metals. The National Device Bank deploys some of the donated old tech to pay for the cost of refurbishment and distribution - hence being a scalable solution. Devices are distributed via the National Digital Inclusion Network and are paired with a free SIM for connectivity and free support for digital literacy if locally available. 

In June 2024 during the UK Election, Peter Kyle MP committed that a Labour Government would explore the potential of reusing all old Government technology for digital inclusion. Officials are exploring the options. It is expected that with Government leadership more large employers will follow their lead and donate their old tech towards fixing the digital divide. 

Other local and community programmes for re-use of technology exist, but often the focus is on reducing waste or a ‘repair economy’. Local schemes play an important role in the overall ecosystem of reuse and digital inclusion; however, it is important that holistic support for access and skills is supported together, not just repair as a standalone activity.

Pairing devices with other forms of digital inclusion support is an approach encouraged by the Reboot initiative to local organisations thinking about or already collecting, restoring, and rehoming devices for people on the wrong side of the digital divide.

Provision of New Devices for Free

There are many examples where Governments have decided that the provision of free, new devices is essential. For example, during a crisis such as the Covid-19 pandemic - with the UK’s Department for Education (DfE) provision of 1.3 million devices and the Scottish Government’s Connecting Scotland programme. They have also provided devices as part of a holistic, ongoing strategic priority, such as Uruguay's Ceibal initiative that has provided one laptop for every primary school-aged child, and all teachers, since 2006, as a holistic social inclusion and education innovation programme. Ceibal is an arms-length public body, wholly funded by the Government of Uruguay.

Connecting Scotland began in Spring 2020, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Realising the impact lockdown had on anyone who couldn’t get online, the Scottish Government worked with the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) to devise and deliver rapid support. This included delivering over 61,000 devices and free internet access to homes and offering people the support they needed to get online.   The programme is continuing to evolve from an emergency response to a sustainable initiative, shifting its focus to supporting people long-term.   

In February 2021 the DfE under the Johnson Government, announced that more than one million laptops and tablets had been delivered to the most disadvantaged children, as part of a £400 million government investment to support schools and young people, with those schools with the highest proportion of disadvantaged pupils being prioritised to receive devices first. As of April 2022, this number rose to almost two million devices, as seen in the diagram below from Gov.uk:

DfE did provide support for this programme, and it was a huge undertaking by public servants working during a crisis. It is unclear if any evaluation has taken place and if the devices given out are still in use, are still in the possession of children in very low income families, and if they are currently helpful in fixing digital exclusion, or if they could be in the future. 

UK & International Practice

Get Online Greater Manchester, UK

In 2022/23, Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) implemented the largest social housing digital inclusion project undertaken in the UK. Five internet service providers (ISPs) and five social housing providers (SHPs) worked in partnership to provide more accessible offers for digital access to customers (e.g. discounted and more flexible rates for high-speed internet). Residents taking part could also get digital skills training. The interventions took place at different rates and times with some reorientations. Evaluated by University of Liverpool, the pilot led to improvement of social tariff products by some of the ISPs; development of a standardised bulk wayleave and specification agreement; more clarity on the role and actions required by social housing providers; and identification of market failure for key groups (over 75s and disabled people).

Rochdale Mesh, UK

In response to digital exclusion concerns during the pandemic, where public locations offering free wifi were inaccessible, Rochdale council pioneered the use of mesh wifi networks to provide free internet access to people at home. The mesh network enables extended wifi coverage from key locations within the borough, providing ‘free civic wifi’ that can be accessed by residents from within their own home. Funded by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, the estimated cost for provision is 35p per household per month. The programme is continuing to be rolled out to additional neighbourhoods, with the intention of targeting areas with high levels of unemployment and deprivation.

Baltimore’s Black Butterfly, USA

Baltimore has two poor, under-resourced, and predominantly Black communities, which fan out across the city’s eastern and western halves in near symmetry, like the shape of a butterfly’s wings. Communities within the western and eastern wings of the Black Butterfly experience racial inequity, crime, health disparities, and poverty.

40.7% of households in Baltimore do not have wired internet service. One in three households have neither a desktop nor laptop computer. Their holistic approach to digital inclusion and community ownership provides an interesting case study of how digital inclusion can be used as a platform for wider societal benefits.

The digital inclusion intervention started with community owned free wifi across a neighbourhood, teaching people coming for food from the food bank how to connect to the community wifi. Leading to the training and employing of local people to run the service and to be Community Stewards - “It’s about us facilitating a long-term opportunity to dismantle institutional racism,” says Alexandria, Executive Director of Elev8. “Out of these negative things comes a workforce of people who understand Wi-Fi. It’s not just ‘oh, I can be a technician, but I can be an owner.’ That’s the definition of reclamation and for me that’s what is most exciting about it.” It has expanded into Community Centres and into providing home broadband; the leaders are clear that this activity is about equity and tackling racial inequality. They have built a business, trained and employed local people, and are supporting at least 2,000 people per week with essential, free, connectivity. 

The UK Government could set an ambitious vision to end Digital Exclusion by 2035 (within a decade) for both access and skills; with some digital services (especially NHS, government and other public services) needing to provide alternative support for people who can’t use them (reasonable adjustments, vulnerable customers).

Ofcom has statutory duties to collect data and report on connectivity. There is scope to draw on this and other frameworks and metrics, as well as developing new metrics, to agree a core set which can be used widely to track progress at UK, devolved, regional and local levels.

[Update January 2025: Collaboration on core metrics is now underway building on this briefing on UK datasets on digital inclusion.]