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  • February 2020
  • November 2019

WaveLength welcomes suspension of Red Button Closure

Last week, the BBC announced the suspension of its plan to close the Red Button Service. The BBC Red Button offers text-based news, sport results, alongside additional television programming. For people who live alone and without Internet connection, this 24 hour 7 day a week service, can be a valuable lifeline.  (more…)

Election 2019:‌ A loneliness policy test

Loneliness policy test Avid readers of the government’s loneliness strategy 'A Connected Society', will know that the government committed to a loneliness policy test. One of the main strengths of the test, in theory at least, is that it will be used across all government departments to assess policy changes. In this post, we look at why it is important for the next government to maintain momentum with the development of this test. (more…)

WaveLength’s response: free superfast broadband for all

WaveLength's response to free broadband for all Earlier this week, the Digital Equality Group co-ordinated by WaveLength, released a report looking at the experiences of benefit claimants using online government services. In this report, we highlighted how government’s Digital by Default strategy is continuing to exclude people. We recommended that as more government services are put online, then government should provide universal means-tested broadband for those who need it most.  (more…)

Why loneliness needs to be an election priority

Why loneliness is an election priority We could start this post by citing the millions of people who are lonely in the UK. Or we could give you a definition of loneliness or state the percentage of people who are scared to admit they’re lonely. But many of you will already be familiar with these facts. You’ll appreciate how deeply loneliness can be felt by a range of people. In fact, many of you will know first-hand what it feels like to be lonely. (more…)

‘Go home and do everything online’: Benefit claimants and online government services

Benefit claimants and online government services Over the summer, the Digital Equality Group, a policy group co-ordinated by WaveLength, invited benefit claimants and support workers to fill in a questionnaire. This report shows that services are not always straightforward or convenient and those who can’t use digital services continue to be, or are increasingly excluded by the Digital By Default principle. We share these responses in a short paper, which we release today. (more…)