The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has launched a digital inclusion pilot with a group of social housing providers, local authorities, and internet service providers.
The goal of the initiative is to develop affordable internet access for social housing in the city-region and alleviate digital poverty.
The authority plans to match one service provider (BT, Hyperoptic, TalkTalk, Virgin Media, O2, and Vodafone) with one housing provider (Bolton at Home, Southway Housing, Stockport Homes, Leigh Homes, and Wythenshawe Community Housing Group).
GMCA says each pair will explore what is needed for a basic standard of connectivity among 1,000 residents and identify barriers and solutions that could be replicated across the UK.
There will be a focus on people aged over 75, those with disabilities, and vulnerable younger residents.
Those involved in the initiative will engage with local communities to assess how different cohorts are accessing digital services and determine what the minimum standards for connectivity in social housing should be.
The programme aims to reach 5,000 households and is said to be the largest of its kind in Europe.
Estimates show that up to 60% of social housing residents in greater Manchester face some level of digital exclusion.
GMCA said the pilot has attracted interest from academic institutions, and that its learnings will be shared in a series of virtual events beginning this month.
‘Basic human right’
Commenting on the scheme, Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: “I believe that digital connectivity should be recognised as a basic human right – and treated as a utility like water, gas, and electricity.
“By bringing together five of the UK’s biggest internet service providers with five social housing providers from across the region, we’ll be able to understand better the challenges behind that belief, as we attempt to tackle digital exclusion within social housing settings.”
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