Stefan Mileschin

We need to stop them revolting

The UK government is considering helping poor people pay for their internet connections to off-set the huge rise in the cost of living caused by subsidising the bonuses of power company executives.

The UK poor have been particularly badly hit by the rise in power and food bills, and so the UK government has done a deal with broadband providers to offer "social tariffs" allowing low-income households to receive discounted mobile and internet deals.

A new service, which will go live this week and be run by the Department for Work and Pensions, will allow internet providers to verify, with customers' permission, whether they are in receipt of a relevant benefit and therefore eligible for extra financial support.

The government says the scheme, which is already supported by Virgin Media O2, could in some cases save households hundreds of pounds a year.

The idea comes from the government's cost of living business tsar, David Buttress who said: "Times are tough and families across the country are feeling the pinch, so we're making it easier for companies to reduce phone and broadband bills for struggling families. Some of the biggest network operators have already committed to take advantage of this new scheme, and we want to see other providers follow their lead so that everyone eligible for a social tariff can access one."

While this is a good idea, it might have been better to tackle the actual cause of the energy and food price rises, which appear to have been just greedy energy companies pushing up prices because they good. Most of the executives claimed millions of pounds of bonuses on these prices rises. Still if the poor are online they are not rising up in revolt against their Tory masters.

https://fudzilla.com/news/55322-uk-g...et-connections