Broadband price rates are unaffordable in the UK — locking many out of key services

Broadband Price
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

A recent survey from the UK's Citizens Advice shows one in six households struggle to afford broadband during the UK lockdown — cutting off key services for those with low income.

Citizens Advice surveyed 1,646 people who said they had broadband at home. However, 275 acknowledged they had struggled to pay their broadband bills between March 2020 and January 2021.

Citizens Advice believes an estimated 2.3 million people had fallen behind on their broadband bill by the end of 2020, locking people out of "key services." Who's at fault? Broadband providers.  

Broadband affordability

According to the charity, only three out of the 13 largest internet providers are offering affordable tariffs for those with a low-income wage. With the UK lockdown making job availability difficult, the amount of people in need continues to grow.

Communications regulator Ofcom has provided insight into the pricing of broadband, finding that households were paying an average of £37 a month for landline and broadband. In terms of the average low-income budget, it would take four times the proportion to pay this compared to an average household.

With lockdown in place, broadband has clearly become an essential service, whether it be for work from home, educational material from schools or essential supplies.

There is some good news, though. As of December 2020, the European Electronic Communications Code was put into UK law, meaning Ofcom and the government can make it compulsory for internet providers to introduce affordable broadband tariffs. 

So, Citizens Advice is currently calling on the UK government and Ofcom to make lowering tariffs compulsory for all broadband providers.  

Darragh Murphy
Editor

Darragh Murphy is fascinated by all things bizarre, which usually leads to assorted coverage varying from washing machines designed for AirPods to the mischievous world of cyberattacks. Whether it's connecting Scar from The Lion King to two-factor authentication or turning his love for gadgets into a fabricated rap battle from 8 Mile, he believes there’s always a quirky spin to be made. With a Master’s degree in Magazine Journalism from The University of Sheffield, along with short stints at Kerrang! and Exposed Magazine, Darragh started his career writing about the tech industry at Time Out Dubai and ShortList Dubai, covering everything from the latest iPhone models and Huawei laptops to massive Esports events in the Middle East. Now, he can be found proudly diving into gaming, gadgets, and letting readers know the joys of docking stations for Laptop Mag.