As digital transformation continues to accelerate globally, countries like the UK are wrestling with the weight of getting more people online. One such group committed to closing the digital divide is the Digital Poverty Alliance (DPA), a UK-registered charity committed to a world where individuals are not disadvantaged because they cannot access online services easily.
Elizabeth Anderson leads the DPA’s operations and programmes, including its Learning Foundation. She shares the charity’s mission with Capacity, explaining how it wants to connect with the technology industry.
“We want to break down barriers so that people who do want to be online don’t face disadvantage down to affordability, lack of skills, or lack of confidence,” she explained. “It’s about empowering people who, for whatever reason, don’t feel confident getting online or comfortable getting online.”
Empowering people during a digital transition
Specifically, with the digital switchover – specifically concerning the UK transition from analogue to digital landlines – the DPA has been working with campaign groups like Silver Voices and Disability Rights UK, in addition to telcos like BT and Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) to advocate for those who are being digitally excluded.
“We are that face in the room who’s representing those views and those needs for different users,” Anderson said. “We’ve produced fact sheets and guidance around actual practical steps that people can take, even if it’s advice on how to talk to people about this change. Because it is coming and what we need to be sure of is that everyone feels confident and if they need additional support, that they know how to reach out to their telco.”
The DPA’s strategy has been successful, as they lobbied to extend the copper landline switch-off deadline to 2027 instead of 2025. The switch-off will mean that phone calls are taken via more modern fibre technology.
Anderson explained that the phone system in the UK has been the same for decades and so everyone knows how it works and is also able to run other systems like Telecare, personal alarm technology.
“If other services go down, the copper network still runs. In an emergency, that’s incredibly important,” she said. “On the face of it, the switch-over to internet is fine – but if there is a power cut, your phone system won’t work anymore, which is a big change. Some Telecare systems are still being sold that won’t work on this new digital service and we have seen some deaths as a result of people being migrated who didn’t understand what had happened.
“Fundamentally, it’s such a big shift and we haven’t had much communication around it, or explanation over what the change will mean. We still feel more communication and messaging is needed around this in terms of what the change actually is and what people need to do and be aware of, particularly if they’re digitally non-confident.”
The responsibility of digital connectivity
In addition to older people, individuals with disabilities, additional needs or long-term health conditions could also need extra help to understand and respond to digital changes. Anderson also cites that people living in areas across the UK that may not have a consistent mobile signal.
“We’re seeing more and more people falling behind on broadband bills,” she added. “The usability factor comes into this as well – a traditional phone is very simple, but if you’ve never used a router before, you might not understand what fault-finding you might need to go through, even if it’s as simple as turning it off and on again. These are in more city-based locations as well, not just rural hotspots.”
Some companies like BT, Openreach and Manx Telecom have offered support to their customers to help install the new technology if they are unsure of how to do it. Likewise, the Telecare Action Plan has been put in place to ensure a supported journey specifically for users of Telecare, meaning that an engineer will fit the new router and make sure it works.
However, Anderson is concerned with what happens after that.
“If you have a range of additional needs, but you’re not a Telecare user, where is your support?” she added. “Also, what happens if the new technology stops working? We know there is an expectation that people can reach out to family members, friends or neighbours – but we know that for anyone experiencing exclusion, isolation and loneliness are massive issues and people may not have support networks.”
AI and the inevitability of digital transformation
Earlier in 2025, the UK government announced the Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund, a strategy designed to bridge the digital divide and provide funding and support to digitally-excluded groups. The DPA endorsed this plan at the time but acknowledges that much more work needs to be done to improve digital equality.
As digital literacy also depends on where someone lives, given different levels of opportunities and exposure, the organisation is advocating for a more curated approach to digital education.
“In an ideal world, what we feel needs to happen is that everyone has the access that they choose to get online,” Anderson said. “That means they have access to broadband at home, but also mobile data and the right digital devices for them – whether that’s laptops, tablets or just a smartphone.
“Secondly, skills and confidence are needed for media literary, online safety and AI awareness. There is no good assuming that the 11 million people in the UK who lack these essential digital skills are all going to go on a course or a workshop. We’ve got to find new ways to provide information to people in a way that’s face-to-face.
“It will be great if the Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund can find these mechanisms that work for people and doesn’t expect them to go out of their way to learn something that’s being imposed on them.”
The next chapter
Looking ahead, the DPA is evolving, looking to push ahead with its National Delivery and Advocacy Plan (NDAP), which sets out six key missions that the organisation feels can set a foundation for a more digitally inclusive society.
As part of this, it is working with the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology as part of its Digital Inclusion Action Plan.
“Next year is our 25th anniversary, which is very exciting for us,” Anderson said. “We are therefore also looking at our own delivery projects alongside our advocacy and research, while also looking for businesses to join us and recognise that digital inclusion isn’t a luxury.
“We will be continuing to evolve how we work with communities but also advocating for government and industry to take this as a serious societal challenge.”
The DPA is also focused on how children are currently experiencing emerging technologies like AI around education. It released a report, Rethinking Education with Generative AI, last year to raise awareness of the technology.
“AI is an evitability. We need to make sure that people have the tools they need to be able to use it responsibly and ethically and understand the difference between human-generated content and AI-generated content,” Anderson explained. “We need far more training for teachers, parents and actively in the curriculum for children in a consistent so that everyone’s not having a different experience depending which street of the UK you happen to live in.
“These changes don’t come innately. People must be supported as we move to this more digital world. It’s now an absolute essential to be able to get online, but to also have the support they need to break down barriers.”
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