<h1>Connectivity Now</h1>

Combating data poverty

Join our campaign to combat data poverty across Scotland


Coronavirus highlighted digital exclusion across demographics, postcodes and sectors throughout Scotland. With our lives and work moving online at an increased pace, the digitally excluded are being cut off from essential services, resources and support.

Organisations across sectors have joined the battle against digital exclusion to continue offering their services, products or support. We brought them together in an event that identified lack of connectivity as the biggest obstacle to digital inclusion.

We have derived 3 main actions from discussions at our event, forming our Connectivity Now manifesto. Together let's end data poverty and achieve accessible and affordable connectivity in homes across Scotland. Read our manifesto, pledge your support and join our campaign for #ConnectivityNow.

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Regulate connectivity

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Link connectivity to shared spaces

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Zero-rate essential service websites
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1. Regulate connectivity
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Let's address the poverty premium and regulate connectivity by:

  • Viewing connectivity as a basic utility
  • Regulating the telecoms market to simplify internet package tariffs
  • Increasing accessibility of packages aimed at low income households

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3. Zero-rate essential service websites
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Let's help everyone get access to essential services online by:

  • Recognising that digital and social isolation are linked
  • Zero-rating essential service websites
  • Increasing accessibility to the essential services all are entitled to

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Want to read more?

Read our full report to learn more about how we created this manifesto from our Connect Four: Digital Inclusion event, as well as further information on each of our three actions.


Read the full report

Pledge your support

All organisations, community groups and individuals from the third, public, business and academic sectors are invited to pledge their support to the Connectivity Now campaign. All we ask is for you to share your experience about digital exclusion and data poverty with us. By uniting our voices we can achieve Connectivity Now.

To make your pledge even more impactful, we encourage you to record a short video clip explaining why you support the campaign. You can pledge without this, but pledges including a video will be shared on our social media channels, tagging and promoting your organisation. All pledgers logos will be displayed on our website. We’re happy to chat and answer any questions you might have so please get in touch with us at connectivity.now@peopleknowhow.org.

Ready to pledge? Fill out our short form below and help us move one step closer to #ConnectivityNow.


Pledge your support
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What we've been working on

While campaigning to end data poverty, we've been engaging with numerous organisations, networks and events to share our learning and allow our campaign to gain momentum. Browse some of the outcomes of this work below.

Our supporters

Thank you to all our supporters so far! Scroll through and watch the videos of those who have pledged to camera so far.

    Good Things Foundation
    Apex Scotland
    SCVO
    Crew
    The Broad
    Leith Gives
    Prince's Trust logo
    Befriending Networks logo
    Craigentinny Meadowbank Community Centre
    Bridge Project
    One Parent Families Scotland
    Spartans CFA
    SCOREscotland
    Poverty Alliance
    EVOC
    Edinburgh Remakery
    Polwarth Parish Church
    University of Edinburgh
    ELREC
    Shetland Community Connections