Written and sent on behalf of Communities and Governance Directorate, North East Lincolnshire Council:
This new offer for families to obtain cheaper broadband came into effect on 22 August.
From what I have read personally, the Internet service providers will be required to gain customers’ consent first, before speaking to ourselves (DWP) about their possible eligibility. We will minimise the information provided, sharing nothing other than confirmation that the person is entitled to a qualifying benefit at the time of contact. This ensures that claimants’ data remains as safe as possible.
We are sharing the information with all of our customers and from what I can see, the process is :-
-that the customer asks the Internet service provider initially about cheaper broadband;
-the service provider contacts DWP;
– DWP verifies to the service provider that the customer is receiving a qualifying benefit;
– the service provider offers the cheaper broadband.
Key to this is getting customers to approach their Internet service providers in the first place, so we will be encouraging everyone to do this straight away. We will share the details with all of our Providers and Partners as well, so it would be really helpful if North East Lincs could encourage customers to contact their Internet service providers as well. If there are any promotional leaflets or documents, I will make sure that you have a copy of these.
As soon as we receive any formal communication, I will share this with you.
Hope this makes sense, if you have any questions please do let me know.
Cheaper broadband for struggling families: 14 August 2022 – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
