Citizens Advice: Broadband prices lock poorest UK households out of key services

About 2.3 million people had fallen behind on their broadband bill towards the end of 2020

More than one in six households in the UK are finding it difficult to pay their broadband bills during the current lockdown, according to the results of a survey by Citizens Advice.

The charity says that the poorest in the UK have effectively been "locked out" of access to key broadband services due to unaffordable rates.

The findings come at the time when people are more reliant on the internet than ever to work, order food and medicines, and teach their children.

Of the Citizens Advice surveyed, 1,646 said they have broadband at home. Of those individuals, 275 acknowledged that they had struggled to pay their broadband bills between March 2020 and January 2021.

The charity estimates that about 2.3 million people fell behind on their broadband payments towards the end of 2020.

It also found that certain groups, including disabled people, parents, people from BAME backgrounds, and young people, were the most likely to have struggled to pay for broadband during lockdown.

One-third of the largest 13 broadband service providers are currently offering affordable tariffs for those struggling financially.

Citizens Advice wants the government and Ofcom to take immediate steps and make it compulsory for all providers to offer cheaper plans for people on low-income benefits.

"I can't afford broadband, so when my mobile data runs out I can't see my grandkids. Do you know how heartbreaking that is?" said a woman named Maxine, who worked in the hospitality industry before the first lockdown and had to claim Universal Credit after her work stopped.

"Throughout the lockdown the only way I've been able to see my elderly parents, and most of my grandkids, is on video calls," she said.

"I don't have broadband as I can't afford it, so when my data has gone I can't see them anymore. I've missed family games nights on Zoom."

Responding to survey findings, communications regulator Ofcom said that some mobile carriers have already launched low-cost tariffs for certain customers, but more operators need to do so to support people in financial difficulty.

The regulator said that it was collecting data on affordability and would take further steps, if required.

Phil Sorsky, SVP EMEA at CommScope, said that the survey finding is "a stark reminder that the digital divide is still very much present across our nation".

"We now all depend on speedy and reliable broadband as a key part of our everyday lives, and its significance continues to grow.

"It is critical that everyone across the country has the same access to the opportunities brought about by broadband connectivity, and closing the digital divide will be a vital step in facilitating the delivery of a wide range of services and applications to improve business efficiency and productivity - as well as enhancing everyday lives across all areas in the UK."

Citizens Advice's findings come nearly three weeks after senior public figures in the UK wrote a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, urging him to help hundreds of thousands disadvantaged children by providing them with the devices and internet connections they lack for remote learning during the pandemic.

Co-ordinated by Labour MP Siobhain McDonagh, the letter also cited an Ofcom estimate that between 1.1 and 1.8 million children in the UK (around nine per cent) lack access to a desktop, laptop, or tablet at their homes.

McDonagh also referred to data from the Office for National Statistics, which shows that only half of UK households earning between £6,000 and £10,000 have internet access.