A new report from the Digital Poverty Alliance has revealed that two million households across the UK are at risk of losing access to essential digital services, including healthcare, welfare and education, because they cannot afford the mobile data they need.
‘Zero Rating: When Data Decides Access' shows that running out of data can lead to missed GP appointments, unfinished benefit claims and disrupted school communications, since these services are often online by default.
More than a third of those surveyed said that mobile data was their main way of getting online.
Respondents reported anxiety, stress and isolation when lack of data prevents them from getting online for appointments, completing forms or staying in touch with services or support networks
The report also sets out the actions needed to protect access to essential digital services as more public systems move online. It identifies the need to clearly define which digital public services are essential, to guarantee that these services remain free to access through measures such as zero rating, and to embed this protection as a permanent feature of digital public infrastructure rather than a temporary response to crisis. Zero rating was successfully used during the COVID-19 pandemic to keep NHS and key public service websites accessible.
Elizabeth Anderson, CEO of the Digital Poverty Alliance, said: “Once public services move online, access is no longer guaranteed by policy or entitlement alone, but by whether people can afford to stay connected at the moment they need help and that is a risk no essential system should be designed to carry.
"The answer is not unlimited free internet, but clear and proportionate action. That means being explicit about which digital public services are truly essential, guaranteeing that these services are always reachable through measures like zero rating, and making sure people know when access is free. It also means recognising that public WiFi is a stopgap, not a solution, and aligning zero rating with wider affordability measures.
"Without that clarity and responsibility, access to essential services will continue to fail simply because data affordability is treated as someone else’s problem.”
