Broadband - Free or Discounted

Glenn_Johnson

Hi, a friend of mine is on Universal Credit because of a life-long heart condition. She cannot afford Broadband at home because the UC just covers all her other bills. She lives alone and has no other income. 

Is there any way she would be entitled to ideally "free broadband" on serious health grounds? If so who does she contact. 

She lives in Broadstairs, Kent and has no other relatives that can help. Her heart condition is fully backed up by documented evidence.

Any help greatly appreciated.
Many thanks 

Savvy_Sue

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/compare-broadband-deals/broadband-social-tariffs/

Article on main site

Spoonie_Turtle

Social packages for broadband seem to all be £10-15 per month (the free for 6 months one sounds like people actively seeking work, which I infer probably doesn't apply) https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/compare-broadband-deals/broadband-social-tariffs/?&source=&gclid=CjwKCAiAyfybBhBKEiwAgtB7flnT2sKIlDVyafipjgNaZHej5CJOCLFr05Aw5NrZpY44ZnZ7AX-OFBoCATMQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
We've had a member on the benefits board find a cheaper deal that wasn't benefits-spefific, so always worth shopping around.


This doesn't answer your question but has she looked into claiming PIP?
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/pip/help-with-your-claim/fill-in-form-pip/

[The only decent cardiac-specific PIP advice I could find is here https://www.lhm.org.uk/pip/ so it may not be exactly relevant, but the general principles of breathlessness and fatigue are probably along the right lines.]

MouldyOldDough

BT Home Essentials offers superfast fibre broadband speeds of 36Mbps, but for a much cheaper monthly price of £15 per month.

It includes 700 minutes of inclusive phone calls

This appears to be a permanant offer (doesn't expire afrer 6 months)

On the launch of the new half-price deal, CEO of BT's Consumer Division, Marc Allera, said:

"BT's purpose of Connecting for Good is at the heart of all we do, and a huge part of that is going above and beyond to support people who need it most. That's why we're launching BT Home Essentials, our low-cost fibre package that will now include all customers on Universal Credit, to provide a potential 4.6 million families across the UK with half-price fibre broadband and calls.

"BT Home Essentials will be available at half the price of our standard fibre package because fast, reliable connectivity to access vital online services – and keep in touch with loved ones – is more important than ever. It is a big step towards creating the connected, digitally inclusive UK we all want to see."

Am I eligible?

You can qualify for BT Home Essentials if you are on any of the following:

• Universal Credit

• Income Support

• Jobseeker’s Allowance

• Employment and Support Allowance

• Pensions Credit

Muttleythefrog

I would second the above posts...

Not aware of any free broadband (although living in a town centre I notice a few WIFI connections for shops/bank!) but the poorly advertised (by companies themselves) social tariffs are now cropping up and in my opinion probably BT (she would be eligible as recipient of U/C) the best since it's a decent speed with phone add on and fixed price £15 with annual check on entitlement done electronically by them. There's another faster tariff at £20. There is a one off fee for them to send equipment. You can shop around in the market and look at cashbacks etc but it'd be difficult to beat this without a lot of hassles I suspect. Having no issues with BT myself since signing up for their social tariff. 

Savvy_Sue

From Friday's Metro