TV Broadcasters and UK Telecoms Providers Unite to Help Get Everyone Online

Britain’s major banks, charities, TV broadcasters, broadband and mobile providers have today united to back a new report from the Connection Project, which calls for “coordinated action to ensure everyone” can get online and take part in a modern economy. But this is not the first time we’ve seen coordinated action on the subject.

The report, which is simply called ‘Connected’, starts by stating the obvious and points to how digital participation is not a peripheral issue, but “central to growth, entertainment, public services and opportunity“. It then claims that full fibre broadband alone could add £73bn to UK productivity, while digital transformation could save the government £45bn a year.

The BBC-commissioned research, in collaboration with Everyone TV, broadly points to tens of billions more in economic and wellbeing value. The report adds that many essential services are now moving online, and access to these services makes a huge difference when trying to find work, managing your money and getting medical help.

However, it’s always worth noting that trying to accurately gauge the economic impact of deploying faster broadband or mobile connectivity is notoriously difficult, not least since most premises won’t be starting from a point of zero connectivity (lloyds estimates that 1.6 million people in the UK are currently living offline). Likewise, we’re all very different in our consumption requirements, and not all homes and businesses get the same benefit from having access to significantly faster speeds than are currently available.

The fact that broadcasters are also involved in this latest push almost certainly stems from the Government’s proposals to switch-off terrestrial TV signals in either 2034 or 2044 – part of a wider change to reflect the move to internet-based streaming via broadband networks (here). Suffice to say they have a strong vested interest in helping to get everybody connected, as do banks and the other participants.

The report also examined international approaches. For example, in Denmark, connectivity is basic infrastructure — as standard as electricity or water – and digital services are made so simple with strong support that they are used almost universally. In Estonia, citizen-designed digital services are said to save each person 5 working days a year, worth 2% of GDP. “The UK doesn’t need a new model — just to apply ideas already proven, at scale,” said the announcement.

The report calls on Government to:

➤ Agree a shared national ambition for high digital participation, with agreed outcomes, dates and milestones.

➤ Unlock industry investment — back broadband to the hardest-to-reach households, and legislate to remove barriers to connectivity and enable safe, delegated digital access.

➤ Deliver a new settlement on affordability, so no one is priced out of the digital world.

➤ Set clear expectations for inclusive transitions — empowering cross-sector coordinators, industry, local authorities, civil society and government’s own services.

The big challenge is that not everybody wants to go online and nobody should be forced to use the internet, even if this may leave them at a disadvantage. Similarly, digital skills can change with age, as well as disability (the two are often associated). For example, you might be digitally skilled today, but this can go in reverse when you develop a disability (loss of sight, strokes etc.), which can make life a lot more difficult.

The reality is that some people will always require offline support in order to achieve what society asks or expects of us, although the new report does acknowledge this reality. “Success is not defined by the report as getting everyone online, acknowledging that some people never will be. Connected instead defines success as making sure everyone can manage their money, watch what they love and reach essential services, whether or not they go online themselves,” said the report.

The report also highlights that as many as 22 million people in the UK face at least one meaningful barrier to digital life, but that these are not a fixed minority, suggesting they are instead a shifting one: almost anyone can be caught out by cost, a lost password, or a change in circumstances.

Natalie Ceeney CBE, Chair of The Connection Project, said:

“Technology has the power to improve millions of lives, but only if people are able to participate confidently in the digital society we’re creating. The UK has a rare opportunity to get this right. By bringing together government, industry and civil society behind a shared plan, we can ensure digital change leaves people feeling more connected, more capable and better off, not left behind.”

Alex Towers, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at BT, said:

“Britain and BT have invested billions in world-class digital networks. But building that infrastructure is only part of the job. To get the full benefits of a digital society, we need to make sure nobody is left behind as services move online. That’s why BT is aiming to reach 30 million people and businesses with digital skills, tools and support by 2030, to help people make the most of the opportunities created by technology. There is much more to do though, and if we want to connect the whole population that will require a shared national effort backed by collaboration across government, industry and civil society.”

At this point it’s worth noting that there have been MANY coordinated attempts over the years to help get everybody online, including the existing government’s own Digital Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP), which is working with the major broadband and mobile operators (latest progress update). Such initiatives have had an impact, but they do keep running into the same issues with internet refuseniks, disability and other obstacles.

Organisations supporting the report include BT, Openreach, VodafoneThree, the BBC, ITV, Lloyds Banking Group, HSBC, Nationwide, Barclays, UK Finance, NatWest, PWC, Deloitte, Accenture, CapGemini, EY – alongside Everyone TV, Age UK, Citizens’ Advice, AbilityNet, Good Things Foundation, Money and Mental Health Policy Institute, FutureDotNow and Quarriers.

At the end of the day, it’s positive to see so many often-competing organisations coming together to support a shared goal, even if some of them might well disagree on the detail of how the problem should be resolved or even if it can be resolved at all. Lest we forget that a society which becomes too dependent upon digital technology would be extremely vulnerable to disasters that could disrupt such connectivity, but that’s an issue for another day.