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Tom MacInnes, Director of Policy at Citizens Advice, responded to Ofcom’s Pricing trends for communications services in the UK report 

“Internet access is an essential part of our lives. Few can afford to be digitally excluded, but affording broadband is challenging for many. 

“Social tariffs should be the safety net for households struggling to keep pace with bills. But our frontline advisers tell us people eligible for this support either don’t know about it or face hurdles accessing it. Tellingly, nearly half (44%) of those who fell behind on their broadband bill in the last year weren’t told about social tariffs by their provider.

"It is vital that people on the lowest incomes can stay connected, but the current approach isn't working. The government needs to go back to the drawing board and reform broadband social tariffs."

Additional information:

The below is according to a nationally representative survey of 2,746 adults across Great Britain, conducted for Citizens Advice by Yonder Data Solutions. Fieldwork took place between 16th October and 21st October 2024:

• Of those who’d fallen behind with their broadband bill in the last year, 44% were not signposted to social tariff schemes by their broadband provider.
• More than three quarters (77%) of those who were eligible for social tariffs said that they had never considered applying for one. 
• Of those, more than half (54%) said it was because they weren’t aware of social tariffs, 25% said they didn't think they'd be eligible, 10% said the connection speed offered was too slow for their needs and 5% said they weren't confident enough to apply.

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Notes to editors:

1. Citizens Advice is made up of the national charity Citizens Advice; the network of independent local Citizens Advice charities across England and Wales; the Citizens Advice consumer service; and the Witness Service.
2. Our network of charities offers impartial advice online, over the phone, and in person, for free. 
3. Citizens Advice helped 2.68 million people face to face, over the phone, by email and webchat in 2023-24. And we had 51.7 million visits to our website. For full service statistics see our monthly publication Advice trends.
4. Citizens Advice service staff are supported by more than 19,000 trained volunteers, working at over 1,900 service outlets across England and Wales.
5. Citizens Advice is the statutory consumer advocate for energy and postal markets. We provide supplier performance information to consumers and policy analysis to decision makers. 
6. You can get consumer advice from the Citizens Advice consumer service on 0808 223 1133 or 0808 223 1144 for Welsh language speakers.