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The Independent Networks Co-operative Association (INCA), which represents many of the UK’s alternative broadband operators, has today proposed several priority recommendations to help address – as part of a Lords Select Committee inquiry – the gaps in critical broadband infrastructure that could be holding back home-based working.
Just to recap. The Home-based Working Committee (Lords Select Committee) launched a call for evidence to support its inquiry into remote and hybrid working in the UK earlier this year (here). The inquiry said it would look to “address the challenges and opportunities of remote and hybrid working for workers and employers, the impact of remote and hybrid working on productivity, and any wider consequences of remote and hybrid working for the UK economy and society.”
INCA states that its submission to the inquiry, along with that of techUK, was the only written evidence to focus squarely on the role of digital connectivity in enabling flexible working. It highlighted both urban and rural challenges that it says “continue to restrict equal access to remote employment opportunities“.
In particular, INCA put forward several priority recommendations to the Inquiry, including those below that seem to focus more on driving take-up than expanding infrastructure coverage.
INCA’s Remote Working Recommendations
- Addressing connectivity gaps in urban ‘not-spots’ and multi-dwelling units (MDUs).
- Complementing gigabit coverage goals with a national campaign to drive adoption and digital literacy.
- Aligning home-based working goals with the Government’s own Digital Inclusion Action Plan to support marginalised demographics.
Paddy Paddison, CEO of INCA, said:
“Working from home is not a luxury, it is increasingly an economic necessity for individuals, families and businesses across the UK. But unless people have access to fast, reliable full-fibre broadband, the right to request flexible working is effectively meaningless. The Government must now act on the Committee’s findings to address the digital divide once and for all.
There’s a risk we focus too much on infrastructure rollout and not enough on adoption. We need joined-up thinking that connects investment in gigabit networks with efforts to increase take-up and confidence among users.
INCA stands ready to support government and industry in delivering a future where digital connectivity underpins fair access to employment for all.”
The government would no doubt argue that it’s £5bn Project Gigabit broadband roll-out, as well as the £1bn industry-led Shared Rural Network (SRN) project, are both helping to support the industry in expanding digital connectivity much deeper into the country. But both are more focused upon tackling poorly served rural areas than urban ones.
However, the government’s direction on tackling issues of MDU access remains unclear (here), and at the same time it’s still too early to assess the impact of their recent decision to open up gigabit broadband vouchers for urban areas (here). The latter is not as consumer friendly or accessible as it once was, which doesn’t help.
The idea of aligning home-based working goals with the Government’s own Digital Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP), which is currently attempting to address the lack of digital inclusion in some areas via a series of “urgent actions” that it hopes will “begin fixing digital exclusion“, is a fair suggestion. But it does have caveats.
The DIAP includes funding for local initiatives targeted to the most digitally-excluded groups (e.g. the elderly and low-income households), while also partnering with inclusion charity Digital Poverty Alliance (DPA) to provide laptops to people who are digitally excluded. But this also includes people who simply refuse to go online, which is a sizeable portion of those who don’t have the internet at home. Suffice to say that the impact of aligning remote working goals with the DIAP will probably be quite limited.