One million People In Uk Cannot Access Internet At Home…Report
A survey by Citizens Advice, says, owing to the rising cost of living, up to one million persons in the United Kingdom have cancelled their broadband subscriptions.
According to a BBC report, Citizens Advice argues that those individuals could have benefited from more affordable social tariffs or special low-cost packages in order to maintain their internet access.
The report maintains that a watchdog group Ofcom, has expressed concerns that 4.3 million eligible people are not taking advantage of available deals adding that the British government claims to have collaborated with Ofcom and the industry to introduce a variety of products to the market, starting from £10 per month, in an effort to encourage the adoption of social tariffs.
A government spokesperson had told the BBC that a broadband eligibility checker had been introduced to simplify the signup process for benefit claimants, with major providers Sky and Virgin Media already participating
Ofcom however on their website, stated that the uptake of social tariffs remains low, currently standing at around 5% of eligible individuals, although this figure has quadrupled since January of the previous year
Citizens Advice’s survey of 6,000 individuals, found that those receiving universal credit were six times more likely to have discontinued their broadband service in the last year compared to non-claimants while, Ofcom has called on companies to do more to promote social tariffs as one in three UK households struggle to afford communication services
Chief Executive of Citizens Advice, Dame Clare Moriarty, said, that the regulator should hold firms accountable and improve the uptake of social pricing, emphasizing that individuals are being priced out of internet access at an alarming rate.
In spite of UK government’s claims that measures have been put in place to guarantee internet access to those with low income, Digital Poverty Alliance, along with Citizens Advice, express concerns about the slow improvement in social tariff uptake, which remains insufficient to ensure digital inclusion for all households.
