Two million UK households don’t have access to the internet — meet the organisation trying to change that

Covid-19 has demonstrated the need for digital access for everyone 
Thought Catalog / Unsplash
Amelia Heathman8 June 2020

You’re probably reading this on a smartphone, tablet or computer so that means you have access to a device, it's connected to the internet, and you have the skills to know how to turn it on and use it.

In the UK, just under 12 million people don’t have access to what the UK government defines as essential digital skills, which includes being able to communicate online, handle information and content, make transactions, problem solve and be safe and legal on the internet. As well, just under two million households don’t have access to the internet at home, either fixed or mobile.

One organisation working to change this is FutureDotNow. It was set up by six organisations - BT, the City of London, Nominet, Lloyds Banking Group, Good Things Foundation and Accenture - last October, in order to boost digital skills in the UK.

“Those of us who have digital skills and are online, we’re able to enjoy privileges that others are not able to,” explains FutureDotNow’s CEO Liz Willams. “That digital divide, particularly during coronavirus, has been accentuated and people are able to see it a bit more clearly.”

If the digital divide has been at crisis point, then Covid-19 has pushed the issues to the fore. Those with internet access and the skills have been able to hunker down at home, from working to socialising online, doing video calls with their GP, as well as ordering food and supplies. Yet this hasn’t been an option for many people in the UK.

FutureDotNow works with the Online Centres Network, 5,000 hyperlocal charities who help people access the internet and gain digital skills. As the lockdown was starting to come in, Williams says she spoke to a community organiser who works at a community-run coffee shop in Stockport.

“Her day started with an 80-year-old woman who was in tears because she didn’t know if she was going to be able to pick up her husband’s prescription later in the week because they were both over 80 and didn’t have access to the internet. Then there was a mum who was looking to order nappies but didn’t have access to the internet at home so used the facilities at the coffee shop.

“What was increasingly obvious that the link between digital exclusion and poverty was starting to come forward. And that was exacerbated over the coming weeks as we were increasingly seeing the impact of digital exclusion of some of the most vulnerable in society.”

One month since UK lockdown - In pictures

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So what’s being done about it? Williams’ team launched a new project called DevicesDotNow which aims to connect people with devices, data and the skills to get online so they can be connected at home. DevicesDotNow sources the devices, which are usually tablets as they are often the easiest to handle, and data packages for people and community organisers distribute the tech to those who need it and help them get online.

“We have a clear six-stage process that will enable someone to get online and have the data they need to access critical sites - whether that’s health information, the ability to shop, or just the ability to see a face,” says Williams. “And there’s ongoing support from those community organisers. It’s very much powering up the community that knows what’s needed with the essential digital kit to help them go about the work.”

It costs around £250 per person to get them online, which is why DevicesDotNow has launched a crowdfunding campaign and is encouraging people to donate what they can. The team is also looking at whether they can repurpose old donated devices, but he issue is whether the devices can run the most up to date software.

“If you think about the contacting tracing app trailed on the Isle of Wight, that requires the most recent software, the latest updates. The thing with the redundant kit is interesting and we’re pursuing it.”

Industry has also been helpful in trying to get people online. At the start of the pandemic, the telecoms worked together to make a number of critical websites free to access, such as the NHS website, so people wouldn’t have to use their data up. In addition, O2 has been running a pilot in Southwark with the environmental charity Hubbub which invites people to donate old phones to pass on to the digitally excluded. As part of the pilot, 800 refurbished phones and Pay as you Go sim cards are being distributed across the borough.

O2 and Vodafone are encouraging people to donate their old smartphones to help get people online during the pandemic
Obi Onyeador / Unsplash

Tracey Herald, Head of Partnerships and Social impact at O2 ,said: “Connectivity is a lifeline for so many at this time – and with so many smart devices sitting in drawers at home, this project provides the perfect opportunity to dust them off for a good cause.”

Vodafone has also launched its own project, named the Great British Tech Appeal. The appeal calls for preloved smartphones and tablets which will be refurbished and distributed to families that need them via Barnado’s, the British Red Cross and the domestic abuse charity SafeLives. Vodafone is also throwing in three months’ free connectivity for every device.

The network’s CEO Nick Jeffrey said: “We know that many thousands of children and families can’t access learning or essential support because they don’t have the devices or connectivity they need. The Great British Tech Appeal relies on the generosity of the public and we call on them to get behind this appeal. Your old phone or tablet really could change a life.”

So far, nearly 1,700 people have been supported by the DevicesDotNow project and Williams hopes to support 100,000 people by the end of the scheme. She says hearing the stories of those who have received tablets can be quite emotional.

One person, Kathalingham, who lives in Eastham, West London, used to use his local Online Centre, Skills Enterprise to access key services and support. Once lockdown hit, he had to shield and was concerned about getting food and prescriptions. Now, he has a tablet that means he can request prescriptions, food parcels and use Zoom to connect with Skills Enterprise. Then there’s Mabel, an older lady in Stockport, who hadn't seen anyone in weeks before she received her device. She’s since been able to connect with family in Australia over video calls, who she hadn’t seen face to face for years.

“It genuinely is a digital window to the world for people,” says Williams. “It’s also proved to me just how much need is out there and how much opportunity there is for us to really lean into this issue. People fully understand the value being online can give them and that will have huge impacts not just for us as individuals but for us as a nation.”

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