Four million UK homes could be missing out on £144 a year broadband bill cut

dailystar.co.uk:

Universal Credit. But only 55,000 homes have taken advantage of the rates, just 1.2% of those eligible, according to regulator Ofcom.This essentially means millions of benefits recipients are missing out on an average annual broadband saving of £144 each.Six broadband providers – BT, Community Fibre, G.Network, Hyperoptic, KCOM and Virgin Media O2, offer at least one of the deals.

These packages are priced at between £10-£20 a month for broadband speeds ranging from 10Mbit/s to 67Mbit/s. Now Ofcom is calling on other broadband firms to support struggling households by introducing their own social tariffs.

Networks and communications group director at Ofcom Lindsey Fussell said: "People rely on their broadband for staying in touch, working and learning from home. "But for those who are really struggling with rising bills, every penny counts.

Special discounts can make all the difference, and too many broadband firms are failing either to promote their social tariff or to offer one at all."We expect companies to step up support for those on low incomes, and we'll be watching their response."It comes as Ofcom's research found that around 1.1m households are struggling to afford their home broadband service.And switching onto a social tariff could provide some financial relief for eligible households.The regulator said: "We have seen limited evidence of providers actively promoting their social tariffs to eligible customers. "These deals don't generally feature in broadband advertising or price comparison website searches."Want all the biggest Lifestyle news straight to your inbox?