MPs want new rules for how UK broadband providers treat struggling customers
Key Points
- One in five UK consumers struggle to afford water, energy and broadband bills
- Each regulator defines vulnerability differently, and broadband providers set their own criteria
- MPs want regulators to align definitions within six months
- Regulators told to plan with DWP to make social tariffs a default for the most vulnerable
- BIST asked to assess a single cross-sector debt register within 12 months
MPs have called for consistent definitions of vulnerability across broadband, water and energy, and for regulators to make social tariffs a default for the most financially vulnerable customers, in a Committee of Public Accounts report published on Friday (11 September).
The committee found that as many as one in five consumers struggle to afford their water, energy and broadband bills, and that customer debt to energy and water companies reached £7.2 billion by March 2025.
It said each regulator has its own definition of vulnerability, and that broadband providers decide their own eligibility criteria for social tariffs because provision in the sector is voluntary.
The committee said this means customers in similar circumstances get different levels of support depending on their provider.
The report also found there is no data sharing about an individual customer’s financial circumstances between companies, regulators or government, making it hard to spot people struggling across all three sectors.
Ofgem-commissioned research found that some customers can pay one bill only by falling into debt on another. Debt charity Money Wellness told the committee that the customers it supported in 2026 had an average of seven debts at the same time.
The committee said allowing companies to set their own social tariffs effectively means private companies, rather than government, are setting social policy.
It recommended that Ofcom, Ofgem and Ofwat report back within six months on how they will make definitions of vulnerability more consistent, and that Ofcom and Ofwat consult on aligning social tariff eligibility criteria within their sectors.
It also asked the three regulators to each create a plan with the Department for Work and Pensions within six months to help companies identify financially vulnerable customers proactively, as a first step towards making social tariffs a default.
The Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade should assess within 12 months whether a single central register of customer debt across all three sectors is feasible, the committee said.
