ISP Grain Launch Social Tariff for UK FTTP Broadband Network

Cumbria-based broadband ISP and network builder Grain (Grain Connect), which is busy deploying a new gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) service across various parts of the UK, has today become the latest provider to launch a cheaper Social Tariff package – ‘Grain Social’ and ‘Grain Social Plus’ – for those on benefits.

Customers of the regular service, once live, normally pay from just £25.99 per month for a symmetric speed 100Mbps package on a 12-month term (currently discounted to £14.99), which goes up to just £49.99 for their top 900Mbps plan (currently discounted to just £29.99). All of these packages come with unlimited usage, free installation, a router and a pledge to ensure “no in-contract price rises.”

By comparison, Grain Social is a 15Mb upload and 15Mb download package, for just £15 per month. Similarly, Grain Social Plus is £22.50 per month for 30Mb upload and 30Mb download. An unlimited landline VOIP phone package can also be added to either tariff for just £7 per month extra.

Current and new customers will be eligible for the 12-month contract, if they are claiming one of these benefits; Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Income-based Employment Support Allowance, Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or Income Support. Naturally, you’ll also need to be covered by Grain’s new network in order to take this.

Roland Barzegar, Chief Financial Officer at Grain, said:

“Nobody is escaping from the rising cost of living, and bills creeping up each month. We wanted to ensure that none of our customers, or future customers, are unable to access a broadband service just because they have less disposable income.

Broadband can be a lifeline for households, and people in receipt of benefits should not have to make even more difficult decisions about which bill to pay or have themselves cut off from the digital world.

Our package prices are already some of the most competitive in the industry, thanks to having full control of our own network, but our new social tariffs will offer further discounts, and opportunities to stay connected to the digital world, for those in receipt of benefits.”

The provider, which is being supported by an investment of around £200m from Equitix and others (here), has so far announced deployment plans for around 50 towns and cities, including Hull, Leicester, Liverpool, Accrington, Grimsby, Cleethorpes, Scarborough, Carlisle, Barrow-in-Furness, Hartlepool, Newport, Sunderland, Blackburn and many more.

Please note that we’ve opted to close the comments on this article, since these days any mention of social tariffs has a sad tendency to devolve away from constructive debate and into an exercise in who can post the most ignorant and offensive remarks toward people on benefits, which is neither helpful nor constructive and quickly becomes too time-consuming to moderate.