Despite the rapid uptake of broadband in the UK, a digital divide stubbornly persists, and looking to alleviate this, major broadband providers and charities have come together in The Connection Project to call for targeted support from the government for the UK’s lowest-income households, as cost-of-living pressures put essential connectivity out of reach.
A not-for-profit coalition working towards a UK in which everyone can participate and thrive in a digital society, The Connection Project’s mission is to bring together leading organisations from connectivity, banking, broadcasting and civil society to develop practical solutions to the challenges of digital participation.
The consortium noted that as banking, healthcare, work, education, government services and television increasingly move online, broadband is becoming an essential household service rather than a discretionary purchase. Those unable to afford a connection risk being excluded from services and opportunities that others take for granted.
And as more essential services move online, The Connection Project said its work would focus on ensuring that connectivity, support, assistance and alternative ways to engage are designed in from the start.
Another aspect noted by the consortium was that UK broadband prices compare well to other countries, and that around half a million households already benefit from fixed-line broadband social tariffs, provided on a voluntary basis by the biggest telecoms providers. Under the UK government’s Telecoms Consumer Charter, launched in April 2026, social tariffs are discounted broadband packages offered to households receiving certain income-related benefits, and are typically priced between £10 and £20 per month.
Yet despite the UK government’s commitment to ensure social tariffs are easy to find, understand and take up, a study in August 2026 warned that poor transparency in service contracts risks excluding the very people social tariffs are designed to support. The key overall finding was that many providers are still falling far short, revealing “a significant gap” between some of the UK’s biggest broadband companies and smaller providers.
Moreover, research from Simeon Yates of the University of Liverpool finds that 400,000 households offline today would be unable to afford even the cheapest social tariff, and many more families already struggle to pay for broadband alongside the rising cost of food, heating and other essentials.
The challenge, therefore, says the consortium, is to ensure that no one is priced out of essential connectivity. The organisation is thus calling for government, industry and civil society to develop an approach to affordability, recognising that even competitive prices and existing social tariffs cannot meet everyone’s needs.
In a joint statement, coordinated by The Connection Project and supported by organisations including BT, The University of Liverpool, VodafoneThree, Trussell, Age UK, AbilityNet, Citizens Advice and Good Things Foundation, is claimed to mark an important agreement between industry and civil society on the need for a different approach. The signatories envisage the settlement as taking on a variety of possible forms, such as a voucher scheme, discount or allowance which is targeted at homes least able to pay, so nobody is priced out of the digital world.
They highlighted the strong case for government funding for this support, and that as a minimum, the service should be reliable enough to support essential activities for modern life – such as accessing online public services.
As the UK government seeks to ease cost-of-living pressures while also digitising more public services, the signatories argue that universally affordable broadband should underpin that agenda, with any new approach ensuring all households can access essential services, including banking, healthcare, government services and public service television over the internet.
“Broadband has become an essential part of everyday life,” said The Connection Project’s chair, Natalie Ceeney. “It’s how we bank, access public services, keep in touch, work and watch television. Yet around a million households still cannot afford it. Government is rightly focused on making life’s essentials affordable. Connectivity needs to be part of that conversation. Competitive prices and social tariffs help, but there’s no single price that every household can afford.
“What’s important about today’s agreement is that broadband providers and charities have come together to recognise the problem and offer to work with government on a solution. We need targeted support that helps the people who need it most, while preserving choice and competition. The Connection Project will continue working with its industry and civil society partners to develop practical proposals for a new approach to broadband affordability, including how support could be targeted at the households most in need.”
VodafoneThree head of government affairs George Robinson added: “We know there are still people for whom even the most affordable tariffs are out of reach. This needs a wider solution, and we want to work with government, industry and charities to make sure no one is priced out of essential connectivity.”
