Consortium to help hard-pressed families stay connected

Full-fibre internet service provider Gigabit Networks has formed a new consortium which aims to help hard-pressed families pay for their broadband.

The Derby-based firm has formed the consortium, called the Rebel Alliance, alongside four other providers from across the UK.

The aim of the group is to put pressure on the industry to do more to help those struggling to afford staying connected.

Gigabit Networks has signed up as a founder member of the Rebel Alliance, which is calling for industry-wide action to improve service levels and lower costs to avoid widening the country’s digital divide during the current cost-of-living crisis.

It has lined up alongside Triangle Networks, Air Broadband, HighNet and Trunk Networks, who are demanding financial support for people living in social housing and those struggling with essential household bills by addressing service levels and standards across the whole industry.

It also says that the country’s internet supplier industry should be driven by the needs of end-users, rather than by the competition between suppliers.

The formation of the Rebel Alliance follows a slew of price increases for broadband at the start of April, with a number of big-name providers increasing prices for some customers by as much as 9.3%.

David Yates, chief executive of Gigabit Networks, which is based in Uttoxeter Old Road, said: “The ability to connect to the internet is no longer a luxury but a necessity, simply because so many essential services, including applying for Universal Credit itself, take place online.

“Despite this, it seems like our industry still views being able to access fast and reliable internet as a consumer choice, with the quality of the internet you receive connected to your willingness and ability to pay.

“At a time of rising household costs across the board, we in the Rebel Alliance think that this is totally unacceptable, and it is incumbent on the entire industry, which includes the infrastructure firms, to work together to increase internet affordability and make social tariffs readily available across the board to those who are eligible for them.

“UK infrastructure companies have done a great job of cabling, but they aren’t always thinking of the end-user experience.

“The Rebel Alliance is here to remind them that it’s the customers’ needs we are ultimately serving and that everybody has a right to fair and equitable access to a quality internet connection.”