“We’re very aware that telcos want to do more to tackle the poverty data premium facing the UK’s poorer internet users,” said Matt, speaking at the HACT (Housing Associations’ Charitable Trust) Centre for Excellence in Community Investment Conference this week. “In the eight years in which we’ve worked in the industry, the issue of affordable data has never gone away, and the current pandemic has pushed it further to the forefront.
“Contracts are the route to the best broadband deals but you need a good credit score to access them, which forces those who can’t meet this requirement into pay-as-you-go deals. As a result, the poor end up paying more for those services in what is termed the poverty premium. We are hearing from telcos that they need to do more in terms of developing specific housing association data packages. We hope to see these come in soon in order to allow tenants to access the facilities and services key to helping them survive and thrive in this turbulent period.”
We Are Digital is a social impact business working with housing associations, local and central government and corporates to deliver positive and practical solutions to the problem of social exclusion across the UK.
