Your Legal Right to Decent Broadband: The USO Explained, and What Changed in 2026
If you cannot get broadband of at least 10 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload, the Universal Service Obligation gives you a legal right to request it. BT delivers it across the UK, and KCOM in Hull. Build costs are covered up to £3,400, and you pay no more than £59.60 a month. Since July 2026, affordable Starlink at your address can mean you no longer qualify.
Ofcom counted 39,000 UK premises in January 2026 that could not get decent broadband from any fixed line or fixed wireless network. Every one of them has had a legal right, since March 2020, to ask BT for something better, with the first £3,400 of the work paid for. Most do not know it exists: three years in, applications had been made for about one in five of the premises then eligible. The right is real and it often ends in full fibre rather than a mobile router. But 2026 has changed it more than any year since launch, and the best-known guide to it was written in the week the country went into lockdown. This page is the current version: who qualifies now, how to apply, how to make a costly build affordable, and what to do if the answer is no.
What exactly is the USO?
Direct answer: a legal right, in force since 20 March 2020, for any home or business that cannot get decent broadband to request a connection that meets a minimum standard. It is a safety net, not a subsidy scheme, and it works by request.
It was created under the Digital Economy Act 2017 and set out in detail in the Electronic Communications (Universal Service) (Broadband) Order 2018. It works in the same way as the long-standing right to request a telephone line: a designated provider must fulfil a reasonable request, up to a cost limit.
| Minimum standard | 10 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload, plus other quality measures |
| Who delivers it | BT across the UK. KCOM in the Hull area |
| Build cost covered | Up to £3,400 per premises, excluding VAT |
| Maximum monthly price | £59.60, the same as other customers on the same package |
| Eligibility decision | Within 30 days of your request |
| Typical delivery | Most within 12 months, some up to 24 |
| Must I be a BT customer? | No |
It is worth being clear about what 10 Mbps means. It is roughly enough for one HD stream alongside ordinary browsing. It is a floor, not a target, and in practice most USO builds deliver far more, because BT's approach is usually to build full fibre.
Am I eligible?
Direct answer: four questions settle it, and the fourth is the one that changed in 2026.
The four-question check
1. Is your address a fixed home or business? A permanent residence qualifies. A holiday pitch or a temporary site generally does not.
2. Can you get 10 Mbps down and 1 Mbps up from any provider? Not just your current one. That includes fixed line, fixed wireless and mobile broadband. If yes, you do not qualify, unless the only such service costs more than £59.60 a month.
3. Is a publicly funded build planned for your address within 12 months? If yes, you are not eligible, and the good news is that the planned build will usually be better than a USO connection anyway.
4. Can you get Starlink for £59.60 a month or less? New since July 2026. If yes, and it would genuinely work at your property, you may be refused. If it would not work, you still qualify. More on this below.
A yes to the first question and a no to the other three, and you have a legal right to request a connection. The quickest way to answer question two is to check what reaches your exact address, which is also the first thing BT will do.
Thirty seconds. If a decent service already reaches you, you have saved yourself a 30-day wait.
How do I apply?
Direct answer: contact BT through bt.com/broadband/USO, or KCOM on 01482 602555 if you are in Hull. You do not need to be their customer, and you should not contact your current provider unless it is one of them.
| Stage | What happens | Timescale |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Request | You ask BT or KCOM for a USO connection | Day one |
| 2. Existing options check | They check whether any provider, including satellite, already offers a qualifying service at your address | Within 30 days |
| 3. Eligibility and cost | They confirm whether you qualify and whether the build is under £3,400 | |
| 4. Quote, if over £3,400 | A full survey and detailed quotation for the excess, which you can accept, share or decline | Within 60 days |
| 5. Build and connection | The work is carried out and your service goes live | Most within 12 months, some up to 24 |
Before you accept, ask BT to confirm in writing the contract you will be on: its length and its monthly price. Because BT normally builds full fibre on the Openreach network, other providers selling over Openreach can typically serve the line once it exists, so it is worth asking what your options are at the end of the minimum term.
What if the build costs more than £3,400?
Direct answer: you can pay the difference, share it with neighbours, or decline. Do not do either of the first two until you have read the next section.
For the most remote properties the real cost of reaching them can run to many thousands of pounds above the threshold, which is why the excess is the part of the scheme that generates the most frustration. The figure is excluding VAT, and it is a cost limit for the build, not for your monthly service.
If you are quoted an excess, you are not obliged to accept it and there is no penalty for walking away. Our guide to excess construction charges sets out how build costs are calculated more generally, and what to do if a quote has already arrived.
Can my neighbours help?
Direct answer: yes, and this is the most useful thing on the page. The law requires the cost of a USO build to be shared across every location the same work would serve. A job that is too expensive for one house can be affordable for three.
It is written into the 2018 Order in plain terms: "In order to facilitate the effective aggregation of demand for connections, OFCOM should ensure that, in calculating the cost of providing a broadband connection to a particular location, due account is taken of the extent to which the cost may be shared between multiple locations."
KCOM describes how that works in practice: "To help achieve as many USO connections as possible below the £3,400 threshold, we will aggregate the level of local demand. This potentially brings more connections under the reasonable cost threshold by sharing the costs." BT has been reported as going further, saying that where the excess works out at under £5,000 per premises after sharing, it splits the cost between the eligible premises automatically.
What to do with that. Neighbours do not have to apply together, and the providers aggregate demand when they price the work. But nothing is lost by talking first. If three or four nearby properties are all stuck below 10 Mbps, each making a request gives the provider the clearest possible picture of shared demand, and it is the single best way to turn an unaffordable quote into a manageable one or a free one.
There is no public register of who else has applied, so the practical route is simply to ask. If your whole village is in the same position, Openreach's Fibre Community Partnership is a separate route that can work out cheaper; the excess charges guide explains how it works and the warning that comes with it.
Does Starlink stop me qualifying?
Direct answer: it can. Ofcom confirmed in July 2026 that BT is only obliged to provide a USO connection if no other qualifying alternative is available, and that Starlink meets the criteria. If it would genuinely work at your address for £59.60 a month or less, you may be refused.
This is the biggest change to the scheme since it launched, and it happened quietly. When the USO was designed, satellite was not expected to meet the standard: older geostationary services had too much delay. Low earth orbit satellite changed the technology, and falling prices changed the affordability. Ofcom's Spring 2026 Connected Nations update records that cheaper Starlink plans in selected parts of the UK mean "a significant number of premises unable to access a decent broadband service from a fixed line or fixed wireless access network can now access affordable decent broadband".
The effect on the numbers is dramatic, and it is the clearest picture of why the USO matters less than it did.
UK premises without decent broadband
Ofcom Connected Nations. Bar length is proportional to the number of premises.
Counting affordable satellite removes roughly nine in ten of the premises that fixed networks still cannot reach.
But Starlink does not work everywhere, and the rules allow for that. It needs a clear view of the sky and somewhere to mount a dish. Some addresses are in areas where a one-off congestion charge applies, which can take the real cost above the threshold. Prices change. In any of those situations you still qualify, and you can still ask BT.
One further caution. In September 2026 some heavy users of Starlink's "unlimited" plans reported being slowed to around 10 Mbps after very high monthly usage. That does not change the eligibility test, which looks at what is available rather than at fair-use limits, but it is a reason not to assume "unlimited" satellite is unconditionally unlimited. Our guide to Starlink for rural homes covers the service in detail.
What if BT says no?
Direct answer: ask for the reason in writing and challenge it if it is wrong. The dispute route is free, and you do not have to be a BT or KCOM customer to use it.
Ofcom is explicit on both points: customers "have free access to alternative dispute resolution schemes", and "You do not need to be an existing customer of BT or KCOM to dispute an eligibility decision."
Three situations are worth challenging. If the refusal cites Starlink and Starlink will not work at your property, write down exactly why: trees or hills blocking the sky, a listed building, a planning restriction, or a quoted price above £59.60 once equipment and any congestion charge are included. If the refusal cites a mobile or fixed wireless service that you have tried and found does not deliver, keep evidence of that. And if the refusal cites a planned public build that is not actually happening, ask for the details of the scheme.
What will I pay each month?
Direct answer: the same as anyone else on the same package, and no more than £59.60 a month. If you receive a qualifying benefit, a social tariff can bring that down considerably.
Ofcom's wording is straightforward: "You will pay the same price for your new broadband service as anyone else on the same package, and no more than £59.60 a month." The ceiling covers the total charge over the contract, including VAT, and it rises with inflation.
The USO gives you the connection; a social tariff governs the price of the service over it. BT's Home Essentials fibre plans start from £16.50 a month for households on Universal Credit and certain other benefits, and KCOM offers its own low-income package in Hull. Our social tariff guide sets out who qualifies.
Why has the £3,400 never gone up?
Direct answer: because it was fixed in 2020 and nothing in the rules makes it rise. The monthly price ceiling is linked to inflation. The build limit is not.
| Threshold | At launch, 2020 | September 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price ceiling | £45 | £59.60, up 32%, linked to inflation |
| Build cost limit | £3,400 | £3,400, unchanged |
| Build limit if uprated the same way | £3,400 | roughly £4,500 |
That last row is our own arithmetic, not an official figure: we have applied the same 32% rise that took the price ceiling from £45 to £59.60. But it makes the point clearly. In real terms, the amount the scheme will spend reaching a remote home has fallen by around a quarter since launch. The households that most need the USO are exactly the ones the frozen threshold hits hardest.
Which? made the same argument in its response to the Government's review, calling for "the reasonable cost and aggregate demand thresholds" to be "raised to reflect the impact of inflation".
Is 10 Mbps going to be raised?
Direct answer: nobody knows, because the Government has not published the outcome of its review. The consultation closed on 27 November 2023. As of September 2026, the GOV.UK page still says the feedback is being analysed.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology consulted between 2 October and 27 November 2023 on whether the USO needed updating, with findings expected in early 2024. The consultation page still reads, word for word: "We are analysing your feedback. Visit this page again soon to download the outcome to this public feedback."
The delay is notable because the law sets out when a review is due. The standard was to be revisited once take-up of superfast broadband reached 75% of premises. Ofcom confirmed that milestone in 2024, stating: "We have today informed Government that we believe this milestone has been met."
The case for change was made plainly at the time. Consumer Scotland described a 10 Mbps commitment as "outdated, inadequate, and in need of upgrading". Which? pointed to "a 140% increase in the UK average download speed since the USO was conceived". The Government's own consultation document recorded the scale of progress: the number of premises without decent broadband had fallen "from c.2.4 million premises to a little over 50,000" since the scheme was announced, and 7,000 had a decent service "as a direct result of the broadband USO" by March 2023.
The practical advice is simple. Do not wait for the review. If you qualify today, the right exists today, and a USO build very often delivers full fibre, which is far beyond 10 Mbps regardless of where the minimum is eventually set.
How many people actually use it?
Direct answer: fewer than could. By March 2023, applications had been made for 10,135 of roughly 50,000 eligible premises, about one in five. Since then, BT's build rate has picked up.
BT's most recent progress report, published on 28 April 2026, is reported to show 9,089 premises connected under the USO using full fibre, up from 8,553 in October 2025, with 461 further builds in progress, more than double the 186 recorded six months earlier.
Ofcom's count of premises without decent fixed or fixed wireless broadband stood at 39,000 in January 2026. ISPreview, citing Ofcom's data, puts that at roughly 23,000 in England, 9,000 in Scotland, 6,000 in Wales and 1,500 in Northern Ireland; the figures are rounded, so they sum to slightly more than the total. Our half-year review sets that against the wider picture for 2026.
What if I do not qualify?
Direct answer: there are other routes, and some are better than the USO. Which one depends on where you live.
| If | Consider |
|---|---|
| You were refused because a public build is planned | Waiting. Project Gigabit and devolved programmes usually deliver full fibre at no cost to you, which beats a 10 Mbps minimum |
| You live in Scotland | The R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme, worth up to £5,000 per property |
| You live in Wales or Northern Ireland | Check the current position of Access Broadband Cymru in Wales, or with the Department for the Economy in Northern Ireland |
| You live in England | The Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme closed to new projects on 31 August 2026 and ends on 31 March 2028. Projects already approved continue |
| Your whole village is in the same position | Openreach's Fibre Community Partnership, which pools demand to co-fund a full fibre build |
| A neighbour has fibre and you do not | A different problem with different remedies. Our neighbour guide covers them |
What should I do now?
Direct answer: five steps, in this order, and the order saves time at every stage.
From "I think I qualify" to a decision
1. Check what reaches your address. Every provider, not just yours. If a decent service already exists, you do not need the USO.
2. Check Starlink at your exact address. Note the monthly price including equipment, and whether a dish would work. Either way, write down what you find.
3. Talk to your neighbours. If they are also stuck below 10 Mbps, agree to apply at the same time.
4. Apply. bt.com/broadband/USO, or KCOM on 01482 602555 in Hull. Expect an answer within 30 days.
5. Get everything in writing. The eligibility decision, any quote, the contract terms. If you are refused and think it is wrong, the dispute route is free.
Independent, including the rural networks the big comparison sites miss.
In summary
- If you cannot get 10 Mbps down and 1 Mbps up from any provider, you have a legal right to request a connection from BT, or KCOM in Hull.
- Build costs are covered up to £3,400, and you pay no more than £59.60 a month, the same as other customers on the package.
- Since July 2026, affordable Starlink at your address can mean you do not qualify, unless it genuinely will not work at your property.
- The law requires costs to be shared across every home the same build would reach. Talk to your neighbours before accepting a quote.
- The £3,400 limit has never risen. Uprated like the price ceiling, it would be roughly £4,500 today.
- The Government's review of the 10 Mbps standard closed in November 2023 and has still not reported. If you qualify now, do not wait for it.
Adrian's closing thought
The USO is one of the better things British broadband policy has done, and one of the least known. It has put full fibre into thousands of homes that would otherwise have waited years, and most people who could use it have never heard of it. Two things about it bother me. The first is the £3,400, frozen since 2020 while the price ceiling alongside it has risen by a third, which means the scheme quietly does less every year for exactly the people it exists for. The second is a review that closed nearly three years ago and still says it is analysing the feedback. Neither of those is a reason not to apply. If you are stuck below 10 Mbps, check your address, check Starlink honestly, and then go and knock on your neighbours' doors, because the law says the bill is shared, and that one fact turns a lot of impossible quotes into possible ones.
Share this with someone who needs it
Anyone in a rural area stuck on slow broadband, and anyone helping a parish council or community group, is welcome to use this page. The tables and the four-question check may be reproduced freely.
Cite this page
This guide is free to quote, in full or in part, with attribution. Parish councils, community broadband groups, advice services, MPs' offices, journalists and AI assistants are all welcome to use it. Please cite the check date, because the thresholds, the Starlink position and the figures all move.
BroadbandSwitch.uk. (20 September 2026). Your legal right to decent broadband: The USO explained, and what changed in 2026. https://broadbandswitch.uk/insights/broadband-universal-service-obligation-uso/ In a sentence: BroadbandSwitch.uk set out on 20 September 2026 that the UK broadband Universal Service Obligation, in force since 20 March 2020, gives premises unable to obtain 10 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload from any network a legal right to request a connection from BT, or KCOM in Hull, with build costs covered up to £3,400 excluding VAT and a monthly price ceiling of £59.60; that Ofcom confirmed in July 2026 that affordable Starlink can count as a qualifying alternative, reducing premises without affordable decent broadband to around 4,000 against 39,000 without a decent fixed or fixed wireless connection; that the £3,400 limit has not been uprated since launch while the price ceiling has risen 32% from £45; and that the Government's review of the scheme, consulted on between 2 October and 27 November 2023, remained unpublished.
Frequently asked questions
What is the broadband Universal Service Obligation?
A legal right, in force since 20 March 2020, for UK homes and businesses that cannot get a decent broadband connection to request one. Decent means at least 10 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload. BT is the designated provider across the UK, and KCOM in the Hull area. Build costs are covered up to £3,400 per premises, and you pay the same monthly price as any other customer on the same package, capped at £59.60 a month.
Who is eligible for the USO?
You are eligible if you cannot get a decent connection of 10 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload from any existing network, including fixed wireless and mobile broadband, and you are not due to be covered by a publicly funded scheme within the next 12 months. If the only decent service available to you costs more than £59.60 a month, you also qualify. You do not need to be an existing BT or KCOM customer to apply.
How do I apply for a USO connection?
Contact BT through its USO page at bt.com/broadband/USO, or KCOM on 01482 602555 if you are in the Hull area. The provider first checks whether a qualifying service is already available from it or anyone else, then confirms within 30 days whether you are eligible and how much the build will cost. If the cost is under £3,400 the work can begin. If it is over, you get a detailed quote within 60 days and can decide whether to pay the difference.
How long does a USO request take?
You should hear whether you are eligible, and what it will cost, within 30 days of asking. If the build exceeds £3,400 and you want to proceed, a full survey and detailed quote follow within 60 days. On delivery, Ofcom says most people will get a connection within 12 months, but it could take up to 24 months for some. Remote builds that need new infrastructure take longest.
What happens if my connection costs more than £3,400?
You can pay the amount above £3,400, share it with neighbours whose premises would benefit from the same work, or decline. The £3,400 figure excludes VAT and has not been raised since the scheme launched in 2020. Before accepting any quote, find out whether neighbouring premises are also eligible, because the law requires the cost to be shared across every location the same build would serve.
Can my neighbours and I share the cost?
Yes, and it is the most useful thing to know about the scheme. The 2018 Order requires that the cost of a connection takes due account of the extent to which it may be shared between multiple locations, and the providers aggregate local demand when they price a build. A job that is too expensive for one house can fall under the threshold for three. BT has been reported as saying it automatically splits any excess of under £5,000 per premises between eligible neighbours.
Does Starlink stop me qualifying for the USO?
It can. Ofcom confirmed in July 2026 that BT is only obliged to provide a USO connection if no other alternative meeting the criteria is available, and that Starlink meets the criteria. So if Starlink is available at your address for no more than £59.60 a month, your request may be refused. That does not apply if you cannot get a clear view of the sky, cannot install a dish, or a local congestion charge takes the real cost above the threshold.
What can I do if BT turns down my request?
Ask for the reason in writing, then challenge it if you think it is wrong. Ofcom states that customers have free access to alternative dispute resolution schemes, and that you do not need to be an existing customer of BT or KCOM to dispute an eligibility decision. If the refusal cites Starlink, record exactly why Starlink will not work at your property, such as no clear view of the sky or a restriction on installing a dish, and include it.
How much will I pay each month for a USO connection?
The same as anyone else on the same package, and no more than £59.60 a month, according to Ofcom. That ceiling has risen from £45 at launch because it is adjusted for inflation. If you receive a qualifying benefit, you can also ask about a social tariff: BT's Home Essentials fibre plans start from £16.50 a month, and KCOM offers its own low-income package in Hull.
Is the 10 Mbps standard going to be raised?
Nobody knows yet. The Government consulted on whether the USO needs updating between 2 October and 27 November 2023, and as of September 2026 the GOV.UK page still says it is analysing the feedback. The legal trigger for a review, superfast take-up reaching 75% of premises, was met in 2024. Consumer bodies including Which? and Consumer Scotland have argued the standard and the cost thresholds are out of date.
What if I do not qualify for the USO?
There are other routes, and some may be better. If your area is due a publicly funded build within 12 months, that is why you were refused, and waiting may bring full fibre at no cost. In Scotland the R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme offers up to £5,000 per property. Groups of neighbours can pool demand through Openreach's Fibre Community Partnership. In England, the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme closed to new projects on 31 August 2026.
References
- BT. (n.d.). Universal Service Obligation (USO) for broadband. Retrieved 20 September 2026, from https://www.bt.com/broadband/USO
- BT. (n.d.). BT Home Essentials broadband. Retrieved 20 September 2026, from https://www.bt.com/broadband/home-essentials
- Consumer Scotland. (2023). Department for Science, Innovation and Technology consultation: Reviewing the broadband Universal Service Obligation. Retrieved 20 September 2026, from https://consumer.scot/publications/department-for-science-innovation-technology-consultation-reviewing-the-broadband-universal-service-obligation-html/
- Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. (2023, October 2). Reviewing the broadband Universal Service Obligation [Closed consultation]. GOV.UK. Retrieved 20 September 2026, from https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/reviewing-the-broadband-universal-service-obligation
- Jackson, M. (2026, April 29). Biannual April 2026 progress update on BT's 10Mbps UK broadband USO. ISPreview UK. Retrieved 20 September 2026, from https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2026/04/biannual-april-2026-progress-update-on-bts-10mbps-uk-broadband-uso.html
- Jackson, M. (2026, July 13). Ofcom confirms Starlink is viable alternative to 10Mbps UK broadband USO. ISPreview UK. Retrieved 20 September 2026, from https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2026/07/ofcom-confirms-starlink-is-viable-option-for-10mbps-uk-broadband-uso.html
- Jackson, M. (2026, September). Starlink impose 10Mbps speed cap on heavy users of its "unlimited" broadband. ISPreview UK. Retrieved 20 September 2026, from https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2026/09/starlink-impose-10mbps-speed-cap-on-heavy-users-of-its-unlimited-broadband.html
- KCOM. (n.d.). Delivering the Universal Service Obligation (USO). Retrieved 20 September 2026, from https://www.kcom.com/universal-service-obligation/
- Ofcom. (2024). Full-fibre broadband reaches nearly 7 in 10 homes. Retrieved 20 September 2026, from https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/coverage-and-speeds/full-fibre-broadband-reaches-nearly-7-in-10-homes
- Ofcom. (2026, May 13). Connected Nations update: Spring 2026. Retrieved 20 September 2026, from https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/coverage-and-speeds/connected-nations-update-spring-2026
- Ofcom. (2026, June 19). Your right to request a decent broadband service: What you need to know. Retrieved 20 September 2026, from https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/access-to-decent-broadband/broadband-uso-need-to-know
- The Electronic Communications (Universal Service) (Broadband) Order 2018, SI 2018/445. Retrieved 20 September 2026, from https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/445
- UK Parliament. (2026, February 11). Project Gigabit [Written question 112693]. Retrieved 20 September 2026, from https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2026-02-11/112693/
- Which? (2023). DSIT's consultation on reviewing the broadband Universal Service Obligation: Which? response. Retrieved 20 September 2026, from https://www.which.co.uk/policy-and-insight/article/dsits-consultation-on-reviewing-the-broadband-universal-service-obligation-uso-which-response-aGY5C7J8PsxL
Written by Adrian James, Broadband Editor at BroadbandSwitch.uk (LinkedIn). Reviewed by Dr Alex J. Martin-Smith (LinkedIn). Published 20 September 2026, last verified 20 September 2026. This is a reference page and is reviewed each time Ofcom publishes Connected Nations data or BT publishes a USO progress report. The £4,500 figure is our own illustration of the £3,400 uprated by the same percentage as the monthly price ceiling, not an official figure. BT's April 2026 build figures and its automatic cost-splitting approach are as reported by ISPreview from BT's report. Eligibility is decided by BT or KCOM against Ofcom's rules, and nothing here guarantees a particular outcome for any address. This guide is information, not legal advice.