DSIT's consultation on reviewing the broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) - Which? response

Summary:

Which? welcomes the opportunity to respond to DSIT’s consultation on reviewing the broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO). The USO remains an important safety net to help ensure access to good quality and affordable connectivity for every household in the UK. As we approach the review trigger threshold, Which? believes:

• The USO must continue to consider the affordability of broadband services. It should safeguard consumers from ‘decent’ but expensive connections and protect USO recipients from paying more for services than non-USO households.
• The minimum service requirements should be reassessed to take account of changing consumer needs, and a new review threshold must be set. Consumers are demanding more from their connectivity, with a 140% increase in the UK average download speed since the USO was conceived.
• The reasonable cost and aggregate demand thresholds should be raised to reflect the impact of inflation, and growth in demand for fast broadband services since the introduction of the USO.
• The government should ensure that the consumer journey for obtaining a USO connection is smooth. More needs to be done to: overcome barriers to take up; ensure that establishing eligibility is straightforward; and improve the transparency of quotes.