The report issues a familiar ask for an updated national strategy from government while positioning digital inclusion as a priority within a broader story of economic growth
The APPG renews its calls for a national Digital Inclusion Strategy from DSIT
On 9 October 2024, the Digital Inclusion All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) launched the third edition of its State of the Nation Report, setting out its recommendations for a new Digital Inclusion Strategy for the UK. Though the report acknowledges progress in various markers of digital equity, including in relation to the relative affordability of services, the APPG still found that an estimated 13-19m adults in the UK experience some form of digital poverty, which includes low digital literacy, lack of user motivation or efficacy, and limited access to devices or connectivity. The APPG also cited Good Things Foundation's claim that making a £1.4bn investment to solve the digital divide could in turn yield £13.7bn in total economic benefit for the UK economy. The report therefore makes the case that an updated strategy from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) would not only deliver an economic value-add but social gains as well.
The policy recommendations for a new strategy centre on access, affordability and digital skills
The Digital Inclusion APPG, which was previously known as the Data Poverty APPG, sets out a series of policy recommendations it believes should be included in a new national strategy, including:
Continuing the work of the cross-departmental task force on digital inclusion;
Creating a Digital and Social Inclusion Fund, funded through VAT revenue on broadband services;
Considering lowering the VAT on social tariffs to the 5% level set for essential services;
Expanding the number of zero-rated websites and including all government sites; and
Scaling up digital skills programming, including the EDS Entitlement and EDS Qualifications.
In addition to linking digital inclusion to economic gain, the APPG also connects each policy recommendation to the Labour Government’s five governing missions, suggesting improved digital equity is necessary to achieving the goals set out for the country. Read together, these recommendations broadly align with the priorities of affordability, accessibility and digital skills – all necessary elements in extending full and meaningful access to digital services to un- and underserved communities.
The report also recognises the contributions of industry and the third sector in advancing digital equity in the absence of governmental leadership
Though the priority of the APPG remains a centralised, governmental strategy on digital inclusion, the report also details the work of industry and civil society in advancing the causes of digital equity in the absence of public leadership over the last decade. As part of its case study, Virgin Media O2 details remaining barriers to digital affordability and highlights its work with the National Databank and the Community Calling programme to improve access to mobile devices and connectivity. In its submission, BT reiterates its support for efforts to improve digital skills programming, especially in the context of the Government’s goals to digitise public services. Vodafone extends this argument, highlighting its Digital Parenting Pro resource as a tool to improve trust in, and efficacy around, digital services, both of which encourage more ready adoption. All of the included case studies also pick up the APPG’s call for a new strategy, discussed by Good Things Foundation as the need for cohesive and sustained leadership from the Government on achieving real digital equity. While the report’s recommendations mirror many of the asks of the APPG from previous years, references to the importance of digital inclusion during the general election campaign suggests the prospect of more ready intervention from the Labour Government.
