Digital inclusion evidence and policy recommendations - Which? response

The Digital Policy team at Which? produced an evidence submission for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on the topic of digital inclusion. The submission identifies several areas where protecting the rights and interests of consumers is necessary to boost digital inclusion. 

The submission is divided into the following sections: 

• Section 1 addresses barriers to accessing connectivity, affordability and pricing – including in-contract price rises and decoy pricing – financial inclusion, social tariffs and network coverage.
• Section 2 addresses consumer understanding of the telecoms market. This covers how digital inclusion may be curtailed by the perceived complexity of connectivity markets, the role of information as potential remedies, and the wider resonances of poor customer service in relation to digital inclusion.
• Section 3 covers online fraud and consumer harm. We highlight the scale of the problem and suggest policy options in response. Tackling online fraud is important to address digital exclusion as concerns about online fraud are cited by 17% of non-internet users as a reason for not having home internet access.
• Section 4 outlines a consumer perspective on measuring digital inclusion. We do not have specific recommendations in this section, but we hope that DSIT recognises the importance of consumer perspectives when developing digital inclusion indicators. We argue there is a need for a holistic approach that captures indicators as they relate to individual consumers.