Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with OFCOM on the (a) affordability of current broadband contract prices and (b) the ease of switching between broadband providers.

DCMS continues to work alongside Ofcom to encourage Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to go further to support low-income families.

Following our discussions with the telecoms sector, affordable social tariffs are now available from BT, Virgin Media, Hyperoptic, Community Fibre and KCOM for £15 per month to those on Universal Credit as well as other means-tested benefits. These ISPs operate in 99% of the UK. We continue to have on-going discussions with Ofcom who have a statutory duty to monitor affordability in the telecommunications sector. We also continue to encourage all operators to introduce affordable tariffs.

DCMS also continues to work with Ofcom on the issue of switching. Ofcom introduced new rules in September 2021 which are designed to make broadband switching easier. Under these rules, consumers only need to contact their new ISP, who will lead the switching process, regardless of the underlying network provider or connection type. These rules will go into effect in April 2023.