Today, the Digital Poverty Alliance (DPA), the national non-profit for ending digital poverty, has announced a prominent list of individuals and organisations who will comprise its Board and Community Board, ahead of its first official board meeting tomorrow. The Board will be responsible for the overall strategic leadership of the Digital Poverty Alliance.
Ofcom, Tech UK, NASP, UK Finance, British Retail Consortium and the Money and Pensions Service are among the organisations named in the Community Board.
… digital poverty affects millions nationwide, with 1.5m UK homes still having no internet access
The Digital Poverty Alliance, which is backed by Currys and the Institute of Engineering and Technology, was formed earlier this year as a response to the issues highlighted by increased reliance on digital technology during the pandemic.
According to Ofcom research from April 2021, digital poverty affects millions nationwide, with 1.5m UK homes still having no internet access, and is a significant contributing factor towards other forms of poverty.
Over the week of 15th November, the Digital Poverty Alliance will be supporting a number of APPGs with six roundtables in parliament on digital poverty and inequality. The purpose of the roundtables is to bring politicians, industry and the third sector together to discuss what progress has been made in the last two years, what gaps still exist, and where we go next.
The outcomes of the roundtables will inform a broader Digital Poverty UK Evidence Review, authored by Oxford academic Dr Kira Allman, which will be published in December. The Digital Poverty Alliance will also publish its recommendations for a national delivery plan in H1 2022.
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