Quick summary: Priority fault repair, braille bills, nominee schemes and relay call discounts compared across 12 UK broadband providers, in each provider's own words.

Broadband Accessibility by Provider: What Each UK Provider Actually Publishes

Q: Do I have to pay extra for priority fault repair?

No. Ofcom's rule at General Condition C5.11 states that charges for a priority Fault Repair Service must not exceed the Regulated Provider's standard charge for a Fault Repair Service. BT, EE, TalkTalk, Zen and Utility Warehouse go further and describe their schemes as free. If a provider quotes you a premium for prioritising a fault on disability grounds, that is worth challenging in writing.

Q: Do I need to register to use 999 BSL?

No. 999 BSL states plainly that there is no requirement to register, just download the app or visit the website and call when you have an emergency and need assistance from the Police, Ambulance, Fire and Coastguard. It is free and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Two conditions apply: it is for Deaf British Sign Language users, and it needs a working internet connection over Wi-Fi or mobile data. Emergency SMS is the opposite: you must register first, by texting the word register to 999, reading the reply, then texting yes to 999. You are only registered when the confirmation arrives, so do it now rather than when you need it.

Checked by hand 16 August 2026
12 providers
44 sources opened
Reviewed by Dr Alex J. Martin-Smith
Next check 16 November 2026

The short answer

Every UK provider of a fixed line must offer priority fault repair, accessible bills and a free nominee scheme. What each publishes varies enormously. BT alone asks for a doctor's countersignature for priority repair. Some providers do not charge for relay calls at all; the rest rebate 30 to 80 per cent. Checked 16 August 2026.

Priority fault repair
Bills you can read
Nominee schemes
The relay discount table
Power cuts and care alarms
Which rules apply to what
How to claim
Questions

This page is for you if

You or someone in your home relies on the broadband or landline for health, safety or mobility
You want bills in braille, large print or audio
You want a relative or carer named on the account
You use Relay UK and want to know whether you should be charged for calls at all
Someone in the house uses a care alarm or telecare device
You are a carer, relative or advice worker acting for someone else
You are choosing a provider and support matters more than headline speed

You want a different page if

You want the underlying rules rather than who does what: read the seven rights Ofcom sets
You need to take over a relative's account: read managing someone else's broadband account
You are looking for a cheaper tariff on a low income: read every UK social tariff, verified by hand

Ofcom sets one rulebook. Every provider in this table has the same legal duties: priority repair for people who depend on the line, bills in a format you can actually read, a nominee who can handle your billing without becoming liable for it, free directory enquiries if you cannot use a printed book, and a discount on relay calls because they take longer.

The rules are identical. What providers publish about them is not. We opened every provider's own pages on 16 August 2026, extracted the exact wording, and put it side by side. Nothing below is inferred. Where a provider publishes nothing we could find, we say so rather than guessing.

12providers checked by hand16 August 2026

1 houremergency access Ofcom expects in a power cutfree if you depend on the line

1 of 12asks for a doctor's countersignatureBT, for priority fault repair

2 of 12say in writing that accessible formats are freethough Ofcom requires it

The finding that surprised us

Relay UK users are owed compensation because their calls take longer. Ofcom sets the duty but not the method, so providers have split. Vodafone publishes most relay calls as free. Six others rebate a percentage of the calls they do charge for, from 80 per cent down to 30. Four publish no figure we could find at all. A free call beats any percentage, so "how much is my discount" is the wrong first question.

Priority fault repair, and the one provider that wants a doctor's signature

This is the entitlement that matters most on a bad day. If someone in your household depends on the connection for health, safety or mobility, your provider must put your fault ahead of the queue, and it must not charge you more than its standard repair rate for doing so.

Ofcom's wording is narrow and worth knowing, because it decides who qualifies. General Condition C5.11 covers "any End-User of their Fixed-line Telecommunications Service with a disability who has a genuine need for an urgent repair", and Ofcom's own plain English summary spells out the limit: it applies "for landline and broadband but not mobile". If you want to quote the rule at a provider, C5.11 is the paragraph number to give them.

Priority fault repair, provider by providerWhat each provider publishes on its own site. All rows checked 16 August 2026.

Provider	Accessibility contact published	Priority fault repair	Evidence asked for
BT	No single accessibility line. 0800 800 150 for formats, Mon to Fri 8am to 5pm. 0330 123 4150 for priority repair	Free, named scheme Free Priority Fault Repair scheme, register in advance	Doctor Countersigned by a doctor or hospital consultant, with an official stamp
EE	Here For You hub. 150 from an EE mobile, 07953 966 150 otherwise. Relay UK 18001 07953 966 150	Free, published "free priority fault repair schemes", for households including someone at risk	None published "To let us know if you qualify for the scheme, please get in touch"
Sky	Accessibility team, online messaging only. UK 9am to 5pm Mon to Fri, 9am to 4pm Sat. No phone number on any page we could read	Not readable A help article exists, but its body did not load without JavaScript	Not readable
Virgin Media	0345 454 1111 to call, text or video relay. WhatsApp 07305 327 112. Relay UK 18001 0800 052 2164	Published Prioritised "over our standard level of care", pre-registration requested	None published
TalkTalk	0345 172 0088, "7 days a week from 9am to 7pm" on its accessibility contact page. Its general contact page shows the same number closed on Sundays, so ring on a weekday if you can. Relay UK 18001 03451720088	Free, named scheme "a free service for customers who depend on their TalkTalk broadband or phone for health, safety or mobility reasons"	None published
Plusnet	Here for you. 0330 123 9123, Mon to Fri 8am to 8pm, Sat 9am to 7pm, Sun 9am to 6pm. BSL 8am to midnight	Published Available if you register as disabled or vulnerable with Plusnet	None published for repair
Vodafone	Dedicated accessibility team, 0333 304 3222. Opening hours not published	In a PDF only For customers who "depend on their home phone and/or broadband for medical reasons"	No registration route published
NOW Broadband	Accessibility team, 03303 323 031, customerservices@nowtv.com	Published For members "who have a genuine need for an urgent repair"	None published
Hyperoptic	No accessibility-specific route. General support 0333 332 1138, Mon to Sat 8am to 8pm, Sun 9am to 5pm	Hedged "we would try to prioritise the fault repair"	None published
Community Fibre	Could not read General support 0800 082 0770. A vulnerable customer policy section is listed on its legal page, which did not render for us	Could not read See the note below this table	Not applicable
Zen Internet	No accessibility-specific line. Customer enquiries 01706 902001	Free, named scheme "Free Priority Fault Repair Service", and once Zen confirms you are eligible you still get it even if you had not registered first	None published
Utility Warehouse	0333 777 0777. deafmemberservices@uw.co.uk for deaf members	Free, named scheme "a free service for customers who rely on their Utility Warehouse Broadband and Telephone services for health and mobility reasons"	None published

Sources: each provider's own accessibility, vulnerable customer or help pages, opened 16 August 2026. Full list in the references. "Not found" means we could not locate it on that provider's site, not that the service is unavailable.

Read this before you assume BT is being difficult

BT is the only provider here that asks for a form "countersigned by a doctor or hospital consultant" with "an official doctor or hospital's stamp". EE, which is in the same corporate group, asks for nothing beyond getting in touch. That is not a rule difference, it is a policy difference, and it is worth knowing before you spend a fortnight chasing a GP appointment for a form. If you are with BT and the countersignature is the blocker, ask what evidence they will accept instead, and put the request in writing.

A fair note on Community Fibre and Sky

Neither of these is a finding about the company, only about what we could retrieve. Community Fibre lists a vulnerable customer policy section on its legal page, and that page did not render for our automated retrieval, so its cells say "could not read" rather than "not offered". What Community Fibre does publish clearly is a free battery backup unit for power cuts, which is arguably the most safety-critical provision on this entire page. Sky's own accessibility site reads perfectly well; it is one help centre article, the one covering priority fault repair, whose body did not load for us. That is a limit of how we fetch pages, not a judgement on how accessible Sky's content is to disabled people, since screen readers run in browsers that execute JavaScript. If you are with either provider, ring or message and ask.

Bills you can actually read, and the two providers that say they are free

If you are blind or your vision is impaired, your provider must give you your contract, your end of contract notification, your annual best tariff notification and your bills in a format you can use. Ofcom's wording is explicit that this costs nothing. Providers must make them available "free of charge, and in a format reasonably acceptable to any Subscriber who is blind or whose vision is impaired, upon their request".

The rule is General Condition C5.13, and it defines an acceptable format as "print large enough for such Subscriber to read, Braille or an electronic format appropriate to the reasonable needs of the Subscriber". Eleven of the twelve providers name the formats they offer. Only two say in writing that they cost nothing. That gap is a publishing failure rather than a charging one, but it plausibly stops people asking.

Accessible formats and nominee schemesExact formats named by each provider, and what each calls its nominee arrangement. All rows checked 16 August 2026.

Provider	Formats named	Says it is free	Nominee arrangement
BT	Braille (UEB grade 2), large print (Arial 18), audio CD	Not stated	Power of attorney, plus a nominated second contact under the Protected Services Scheme
EE	Large print (Arial 18), braille (UEB grade 2), audio CD	Yes "free of charge"	Authorised user. Note this is password-based account access with near full control, which is not the same as Ofcom's protected nominee status
Sky	Braille, audio, large print, coloured paper	Not stated for the UK	Third party assistance: power of attorney, deputy, guardian or appointee
Virgin Media	Large print (size 20, 24 or 28, on white or coloured paper), braille grade 1 or 2, audio CD	Not stated	A scheme allowing "a friend or family member to manage the customer's account", plus court-appointed routes
TalkTalk	Large print, braille, audio, coloured paper	Not stated	Nominated User
Plusnet	Braille, large print, coloured paper, audio on CD or MP3	Not stated	Nominee, plus up to two authorised users, plus power of attorney
Vodafone	Braille, large print, audio, cream-coloured backgrounds	Yes "free of charge", though it says so in a support document rather than on its accessibility page	Offered, but no scheme name published
NOW Broadband	Braille, audio CD, large or easy-to-read print	Not stated	Nominate a third party, plus power of attorney support
Hyperoptic	Large print, braille, audio	Not stated	Third party bill management
Community Fibre	Not found	Not applicable	Not found
Zen Internet	Large print, audio, braille, adjusted electronic format	Not stated	Third party nominee
Utility Warehouse	Braille, large print, audio	Not stated Sits under a heading reading "Our free support services", but with no explicit statement for formats	Bill management, plus a password identification scheme for doorstep checks

Sources: each provider's own pages, opened 16 August 2026. Ofcom requires accessible formats to be supplied free of charge, so "not stated" reflects what the provider publishes, not what it is allowed to charge.

The nominee scheme almost nobody claims

Third party bill management is the quietest of the seven entitlements and one of the most useful. It lets you name someone who receives your bill first, or who gets asked why a bill has not been paid, and who can pay it for you. Crucially, General Condition C5.12(d) forbids providers from making that person liable: it says they must "not require the nominee to accept liability to pay the Bills of that Subscriber".

That single clause is the reason this is worth doing rather than handing over your login. The names are all different, which makes it hard to ask for, so use Ofcom's phrase. If you want the mechanics rather than the provider-by-provider view, our guide to managing someone else's broadband account walks through each level of authority.

Not everything in that column carries the same protection

The no-liability rule attaches to the Ofcom nominee, and only to that. It does not attach to an attorney under a lasting power of attorney, a court-appointed deputy, a DWP appointee, a joint account holder, or someone you have simply given your password to. EE's "authorised user", for example, is password-based access with near full control of the account, which is a different and broader thing. Ask specifically for third party bill management, and get written confirmation of which arrangement you have actually been given.

Key facts, with sources attached

Priority fault repair covers landline and broadband, not mobile: Ofcom's summary states it applies "for landline and broadband but not mobile" to any disabled person with a genuine need for an urgent repair.Ofcom GC C5.11
A priority repair must not cost more than a standard one: "Charges for a priority Fault Repair Service must not exceed the Regulated Provider's standard charge for a Fault Repair Service."Ofcom GC C5.11
Accessible formats must be free: Providers must supply contracts, notifications and bills "free of charge" in a format acceptable to a subscriber who is blind or vision impaired, on request.Ofcom GC C5.13
A nominee must not be made liable for your bill: Providers must "not require the nominee to accept liability to pay the Bills of that Subscriber". This protection attaches to the Ofcom nominee only, not to an attorney, deputy or appointee.Ofcom GC C5.12(d)
Your provider must keep you able to call 999 in a power cut: The duty is that "any provider of a voice communications service must make sure that customers have uninterrupted access to emergency organisations". Ofcom's guidance adds that providers should "have a solution in place to enable access to the emergency organisations for at least one hour" and should offer it "free-of-charge to customers who depend on their landline to call emergency services during a power cut".Ofcom
The relay discount is a separate legal duty from the price cap: Ofcom fined Post Office Limited £175,000 for meeting the cap but failing to apply a special tariff scheme to relay calls.Ofcom enforcement, January 2020
999 BSL needs no registration, but it does need the internet: "No, there is no requirement to register, just download the app or visit the website and call when you have an emergency and need assistance from the Police, Ambulance, Fire and Coastguard." Free, and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. It is for Deaf British Sign Language users, and it needs a working connection over Wi-Fi or mobile data, so it will not help in a power cut if your router is down and you have no signal.999 BSL
Emergency SMS does need registration: EE publishes the steps: "Send the word 'register' in a text to 999. You'll receive texts about the service. When you've read these, reply by sending 'yes' in a text to 999."EE
Free 195 directory enquiries is an industry service, not BT's: BT, TalkTalk, Plusnet and Vodafone all publish the same registration line, 0800 587 0195. Sight Advice FAQ states you can use the free service "whether or not BT is your telephone provider".BT, TalkTalk, Sight Advice

The relay call discount table, and why the percentage is the wrong first question

If you use Relay UK, your calls take longer than a voice call because someone is typing. Ofcom handles this with two separate duties, and the distinction matters. Under General Condition C5.9(a), a relay call charge "must not exceed the equivalent price as if that conveyance had been made directly between the caller and the called person without use of a Relay Service". Then, separately, C5.9(b) requires that providers "must apply a special tariff scheme designed to compensate Subscribers for the additional time taken by End-Users with disabilities to make telephone calls using a Relay Service where, because of their disabilities, those End-Users need to make calls using a Relay Service".

A provider that only tells you relay calls cost the same as normal calls has met the first duty and said nothing about the second. This is not a theoretical distinction. In January 2020 Ofcom fined Post Office Limited £175,000 for exactly that failure, finding it had breached the condition "by not applying a special tariff scheme to calls made by customers who, because of their disabilities, needed to use relay services".

Ofcom sets no percentage, so providers have split into two approaches. Some do not charge for relay calls at all, which is the better outcome and cannot be beaten by any discount. The rest rebate a share of the calls they do charge for. The UK Council On Deafness has kept a version of this comparison for years and deserves the credit for asking the question first. What follows is a fresh check of the same question against each provider's current documents.

How each provider meets the relay tariff dutyFree comes first, because a free call beats any percentage. Rebates then run highest to lowest. Checked 16 August 2026.

Provider	How the duty is met	What is published	Source and date
Vodafone	Relay calls free	"18001 and 18002 calls are free to landline and mobile numbers" on pay monthly. On pay as you go, 18001 is free but 18002 is "20p a minute" unless you have a Big Value Bundle. The 60 and 20 per cent figures elsewhere on the same page are a general broadband and landline discount, not a relay scheme	Accessibility page, no date published
EE	Free or standard rate	"most Relay UK calls are either free or charged at your standard rate". EE does not say what the split is, so ask which applies to your plan	Communication support page, no date published
Virgin Media	80% / 20% rebate	UK local and national numbers, then UK mobiles, on calls with the 18001 prefix	Accessibility and vulnerability policy, updated 23 August 2022
Sky	60% / 20% rebate	UK landline (01 and 02), 03, 055 and 056, then UK mobile	Sky Talk tariff guide, effective 1 May 2024
NOW Broadband	60% / 20% rebate	The same categories as Sky, applied to the text element of 18001 or 18002 calls	NOW Calls tariff guide, effective 1 May 2024
TalkTalk	30% rebate	Direct-dialled Text Relay calls, but only "if they're not included in your package". If your calls are inclusive, this is worth nothing either way	Help centre page, updated July 2025
Utility Warehouse	30% rebate	"Calls using a Textphone", for deaf or speech impaired members. Note this is framed around textphones rather than the Relay UK app	Residential charges booklet, effective 18 May 2026
Plusnet	Rebate, no figure	"we make adjustments to your call charges to make sure that you aren't out of pocket"	Page updated 23 September 2025
Zen Internet	Rebate, no figure	"we therefore apply a rebate to the text element of the calls"	Accessibility page, no visible date
BT	Not found	Its price list section on Relay UK is closed to automated retrieval, and no current figure appears elsewhere on its site	Not applicable
Hyperoptic	Not found	No relay figure in either published price guide	Price guide, effective 9 July 2026
Community Fibre	Not found	No relay pricing located	Not applicable

Sources: provider tariff guides and accessibility pages, opened 16 August 2026. These figures are not directly comparable: they apply to different call types, and several apply only to calls outside your inclusive allowance. Percentages are as published and may change without notice.

What to do with this

Ask the question in the right order. First, am I charged for relay calls at all? If the answer is no, you are already on the best available outcome and there is nothing to claim. If the answer is yes, ask which special tariff scheme applies to your account, what percentage it is, and whether it has been applied to your past bills. Ask in writing.

If your provider cannot describe a scheme at all, ask them to apply one and refund the difference on chargeable relay calls you have made. Be realistic about what happens next: a dispute scheme can order a credit or apply a tariff to your account, but it cannot fine your provider or force it to publish a scheme. That part is Ofcom's job, and a separate report to Ofcom is the right route for it.

One last thing on this table. A provider that publishes a clear relay position is telling you something about how seriously it takes the rest of the list, and a provider that publishes nothing is telling you something too. If yours is near the bottom, it is worth seeing what else is available at your address before your contract ends.

The one that can actually kill someone, and it is not on Ofcom's list of seven

Everything above is about convenience, cost and dignity. This one is about whether you can reach 999.

The old copper phone network is being retired, and landlines are moving to a digital service that runs through your broadband router. A copper line drew its power from the exchange and kept working in a power cut. A digital one does not. The binding duty is direct: "Any provider of a voice communications service must make sure that customers have uninterrupted access to emergency organisations."

How they are expected to do it is set out in Ofcom guidance rather than in the rule itself, and the distinction is worth knowing before you quote it at anyone. The guidance says providers should "have a solution in place to enable access to the emergency organisations for at least one hour", and should "offer this solution free-of-charge to customers who depend on their landline to call emergency services during a power cut". So the one hour and the free unit are expectations on how the duty is met, while the duty to keep you able to reach 999 is the part that is not optional.

In practice that solution is usually a battery backup unit for the router, and in most cases you have to ask for it. Ofcom names the group most exposed: "some customers might require additional support, for instance if they use telecare devices, or rely on their landlines to make emergency calls".

If anyone in your home uses a care alarm, read this before you switch or upgrade

The House of Commons Library puts it plainly: "Devices that rely on the PSTN include some telecare devices such as fall alarms." There is a protection, and it depends on your provider knowing: under the PSTN Charter, "providers agreed to, for example, not migrate users of telecare devices unless their device is compatible with digital landlines, and to provide battery back-up solutions that 'go beyond' Ofcom's minimum requirements". So tell your provider before any switch or upgrade that there is a telecare device in the property, and ask for that to be recorded on the account. Ask separately for a battery backup unit, by name, and ask for it free of charge on the grounds that you depend on the line to call emergency services. Providers cannot act on a need they have not been told about, so the phone call is on you, and it is worth making today rather than on the day of the engineer visit.

This entitlement sits outside the seven that the accessibility rules cover, which is exactly why it gets missed. It is also the one item on this page where the consequence of not asking is measured in something other than money.

Which rules apply to what, because this trips everyone up

The seven entitlements are not one uniform block. Three have different scopes, and mixing them up is how people end up asking the wrong provider for the wrong thing. We have added the power cut duty as an eighth row, because although it sits outside the accessibility rules it matters more than several that are inside them.

Scope of each entitlementWho each rule actually binds, in Ofcom's own framing, with the General Condition paragraph number to quote at your provider. Numbering is from Ofcom's consolidated version published 4 January 2021.

Entitlement	Applies to	What that means in practice
Priority fault repair C5.11	Fixed line only	Landline and broadband. Your mobile network has no equivalent duty
Emergency SMS C5.10	Mobile only	Register in advance, in three steps. Text "register" to 999, read the reply, then text "yes" to 999. You are only registered when the confirmation comes back. Nothing to do with your broadband provider
Emergency video relay (999 BSL)	Wider, and conditional	Binds internet access providers as well as number-based interpersonal communications providers, the latter "where it is technically feasible"
Accessible formats C5.13	All providers	But the wording covers subscribers who are blind or vision impaired, and covers contracts, notifications and bills
Third party bill management C5.12	All providers	Any public electronic communications service, at no cost, and under C5.12(d) the nominee is not made liable
Free directory enquiries C5.7	All providers	For anyone unable to use a printed directory. Register once on 0800 587 0195, then dial 195
Relay service and tariff scheme C5.8, C5.9	All providers	Fixed and mobile. Two duties: a price cap under C5.9(a) and a compensating scheme under C5.9(b)
Power cut access to 999	Voice services on a digital line	Not part of the seven. At least one hour of emergency access, free if you depend on the line. Ask for a battery backup unit by name

Source: Ofcom General Condition C5 and Ofcom's consumer and industry guidance, opened 16 August 2026. For the full text of each entitlement, see the seven rights providers rarely mention.

How to claim any of this, in six steps

Register before you need it
Priority fault repair only helps if you are already on the list. Zen is the exception, saying you still get it once it has confirmed you are eligible, even if you had not registered first. Do this on a good day, not on the day the line goes down. If you cannot use a voice phone, everything on this list can be done in writing, by webchat, or through Relay UK by dialling 18001 before your provider's number, and in writing is better anyway because you get the answer on record.
Ask by the right name
Every provider calls its nominee scheme something different. Ask for "third party bill management", the phrase Ofcom uses, and add "you cannot make my nominee liable for the bill". That sentence tends to move the conversation along.
Get the format request on the account, not on one bill
Ask for your communication preference to be recorded against the account so contracts, price rise notices and end of contract notifications arrive in the same format, not just this month's bill.
Ask about the relay tariff scheme by name
Not "do I get a discount", which invites a no. Ask "which special tariff scheme applies to my relay calls, and what percentage is it". Ask for the answer in writing.
Ask about power cuts and telecare
If your landline has moved, or is about to move, to a digital service, ask for a battery backup unit and tell them about any care alarm in the property. This is the one on the list with a safety consequence.
Escalate after six weeks
If the provider will not put things right, you can take the complaint free of charge to whichever independent dispute scheme it belongs to. Ofcom approves two: the Communications Ombudsman and CISAS. Ask your provider which one it uses. Since 8 April 2026 you can go after six weeks rather than eight, and a deadlock letter lets you go sooner.

Who publishes the most, on what we could read on 16 August 2026

Best documented overallZen Internet. Four accessibility pages organised by impairment type plus a vulnerability policy, a named free priority repair service, and the only provider stating you still get priority repair, once eligibility is confirmed, even if you had not registered first.

Best for relay usersVodafone, which publishes 18001 and 18002 calls as free on pay monthly. Not being charged beats any rebate. Among providers that do charge, Virgin Media publishes the highest at 80 per cent on landline calls.

Easiest to actually reachPlusnet. Published hours for every day of the week, a phone number on the disability pages themselves, and on-demand BSL from 8am to midnight.

Clearest on costEE and Vodafone. The only two that state in writing that accessible formats are free of charge, which is what the rules require.

Hardest to retrieveSky and Community Fibre. Sky's own accessibility site reads fine; one help centre article body did not load for us. Community Fibre lists a vulnerable customer policy on a legal page that did not render. Both are limits of our retrieval, not findings about the companies.

What we could not verify

Sky's priority fault repair terms. The help article exists and its title and description reference the service, but the page body did not render for us without JavaScript, so we could not read the eligibility wording or the cost. Sky's separate accessibility site read normally.
Community Fibre's provision. Its legal page lists a vulnerable customer policy section, and that page did not render for us. Its rows are marked "could not read" rather than "not offered", and they will be retested at the next check.
TalkTalk's accessibility line hours. Its accessibility contact page says "7 days a week from 9am to 7pm". Its general contact page shows the same number closed on Sundays. We have published both rather than picking one, because ringing on a Sunday and getting nothing is the worse outcome.
BT's current relay discount percentage. The section of BT's price list covering Relay UK is closed to automated retrieval, and no current figure appears on any other BT page we opened. We have deliberately not published an older figure.
The name of Plusnet's nominee scheme. Plusnet publishes the arrangement clearly. Our two independent checks disagreed on whether it carries a branded name, so we have described it without one.
Vodafone's accessibility line opening hours. The number is published. The hours are not, on any page we opened.
Hyperoptic's text relay terms. A page with that title exists but returned template placeholders rather than content on four attempts.
Whether Ofcom's paragraph numbers have shifted since 2021. We quote General Condition C5 from Ofcom's own consolidated PDF published 4 January 2021, and give its paragraph numbers. Emergency video relay was added to C5 after that date, so the numbering in the newest consolidated version may differ. Quote the wording as well as the number.

Support varies more than the rules do

If your provider is thin on the things above, that is a reason to move as much as price is. Compare what is available at your address in about a minute.

Compare broadband at my address Or read the seven rights Ofcom gives you first

Cite this page

This dataset is free to quote, in full or in part, with attribution. Researchers, charities, advice services and AI assistants are all welcome to use it. Please cite the check date, because the figures move.

BroadbandSwitch.uk. (2026, August 16). Broadband accessibility by provider: What each UK provider actually publishes. https://broadbandswitch.uk/insights/broadband-accessibility-by-provider/

In a sentence: BroadbandSwitch.uk checked twelve UK broadband providers on 16 August 2026 and found published Relay UK call discounts ranging from 30 per cent to 80 per cent, and only one provider, BT, asking for a doctor's countersignature before granting priority fault repair.

Frequently asked questions

Which broadband provider is best for disabled customers?

There is no single answer, because disabled customers are not one group. On documentation for blind and vision impaired customers, Zen Internet publishes the most. On relay support, Vodafone comes out ahead because it publishes relay calls as free on pay monthly, which beats any rebate. On help with understanding technology, Plusnet publishes a dedicated page where most providers publish nothing. On stating plainly that accessible formats are free, only EE and Vodafone do it. Availability at your address matters more than any of this, so check what you can actually get first.

Do I have to pay extra for priority fault repair?

No. Ofcom's rule at General Condition C5.11 states that "charges for a priority Fault Repair Service must not exceed the Regulated Provider's standard charge for a Fault Repair Service". BT, EE, TalkTalk, Zen and Utility Warehouse go further and describe their schemes as free. If a provider quotes you a premium for prioritising a fault on disability grounds, that is worth challenging in writing.

Does priority fault repair cover mobile broadband?

No. The duty is written around a fixed-line service, and Ofcom's own summary says it applies "for landline and broadband but not mobile". If your only connection is a 4G or 5G router, you are outside this particular entitlement, although your provider's general obligation to treat vulnerable customers fairly still applies.

Can I get my broadband bill in braille or large print?

Yes, and it must be free. Providers must supply contracts, end of contract notifications, annual best tariff notifications and bills "free of charge" in a format acceptable to a subscriber who is blind or whose vision is impaired. Eleven of the twelve providers we checked name their formats. Braille, large print and audio are the common three. Ask for the preference to be set against your account rather than requesting each document separately.

What is third party bill management, and does my nominee become liable?

It lets you name someone who receives your bill first, or who is asked why a bill has not been paid, and who can pay on your behalf. General Condition C5.12(d) explicitly forbids providers from requiring "the nominee to accept liability to pay the Bills of that Subscriber", so your nominee helps without taking on your debt. That protection attaches to the Ofcom nominee only. It does not cover an attorney under a power of attorney, a court-appointed deputy, a DWP appointee, a joint account holder, or someone you have simply given your password to. Providers all call it something different, so ask using Ofcom's phrase, "third party bill management", and get written confirmation of which arrangement you have been given.

How much discount should I get on Relay UK calls?

Ask a different question first: are you charged for relay calls at all? Vodafone publishes 18001 and 18002 calls as free on pay monthly, and EE says most Relay UK calls are "either free or charged at your standard rate" without saying what the split is. A free call cannot be improved by a percentage. Where calls are chargeable, the published rebates as at 16 August 2026 are Virgin Media 80 per cent on UK landline calls and 20 per cent on mobiles, Sky and NOW 60 and 20, and TalkTalk and Utility Warehouse 30 per cent. Plusnet and Zen confirm a rebate without naming a figure. These are not directly comparable, because TalkTalk's applies only outside your bundle and Utility Warehouse's is framed around textphone calls.

What happens if my provider says relay calls just cost the same as normal calls?

That answer only addresses half the rule. Ofcom sets two duties: under C5.9(a) relay calls must not cost more than the equivalent direct call, and separately under C5.9(b) a compensating tariff scheme must be applied. In January 2020 Ofcom fined Post Office Limited £175,000 for meeting the first and failing the second. Ask specifically which special tariff scheme applies to your account, and ask in writing. If they refuse, you can go to their dispute scheme after six weeks, though it can only credit your account rather than fine the provider. Enforcement is Ofcom's job, so report it there as well.

Is 195 free directory enquiries only for BT customers?

No. It is an industry service and the duty sits on every provider. BT, TalkTalk, Plusnet and Vodafone all publish the same registration line, 0800 587 0195, and Sight Advice FAQ states you can use the free service "whether or not BT is your telephone provider". Registration usually involves a form countersigned by a medical professional, and once registered you dial 195. Note that connecting the call you then ask for may be charged at normal rates.

Will my landline still work in a power cut?

Not if it has moved to a digital service running through your broadband router, unless you have a backup. The old copper network powered the phone from the exchange; a digital line does not. Ofcom requires that "any provider of a voice communications service must make sure that customers have uninterrupted access to emergency organisations", and its guidance says providers should have a solution giving access "for at least one hour" and should offer it "free-of-charge to customers who depend on their landline to call emergency services during a power cut". In practice that means a battery backup unit for the router, and you usually have to ask. If anyone in the house uses a care alarm or fall detector, tell your provider before any switch, because some telecare devices do not work on a digital line.

Do I need to register to use 999 BSL?

No. 999 BSL states plainly: "there is no requirement to register, just download the app or visit the website and call when you have an emergency and need assistance from the Police, Ambulance, Fire and Coastguard". It is free and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Two conditions apply: it is for Deaf British Sign Language users, and it needs a working internet connection over Wi-Fi or mobile data. Emergency SMS is the opposite: you must register first, by texting the word "register" to 999, reading the reply, then texting "yes" to 999. You are only registered when the confirmation arrives, so do it now rather than when you need it.

My provider is not in your table. What should I ask them?

Ask six things: do you offer priority fault repair and what evidence do you need, can I have bills and contracts in my preferred format free of charge, can I nominate someone for third party bill management without making them liable, am I charged for relay calls and if so which special tariff scheme applies, how do I register for free 195 directory enquiries, and what happens to my phone in a power cut. Every provider of a public electronic communications service in the UK has to answer all of these.

References

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Adrian James, Broadband Editor. Every figure on this page was taken from the provider's own published page or tariff document and quoted rather than summarised. Reviewed by Dr Alex J. Martin-Smith. Last checked 16 August 2026. Next scheduled check 16 November 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will correct it and log the change.