Social impact
Brighton Fibre was created to serve Brighton and Hove, not the whole nation. As a fully local, engineer-owned ISP with no external shareholders, we build and run our own full-fibre network and make decisions that put people and community first. Our focus is simple: remove barriers to getting online, support those who need flexibility, and deliver an internet service designed around fairness rather than national targets or shareholder returns.
This page is our working impact report. We will keep it practical and update it as the network grows, with clear measures where we can, and honest notes on where we are still improving.
Why being local matters
Remaining local-first allows us to prioritise the areas of Brighton that need connectivity most. Unlike national providers, we are not driven by maximising mass-market profits or investor expectations.
- Not driven by national-scale profit targets.
- Not forced to optimise for easy, cookie-cutter rollout areas.
- Able to prioritise mixed-use streets, awkward buildings and overlooked pockets of the city.
- Faster decisions, more flexibility, and pricing designed for local reality.
National wholesale networks tend to prioritise scale and standardisation. We take the opposite approach. We build where it matters, not where it is easiest.
Digital exclusion worsens inequality
Reliable internet access is now a gateway to essentials. When people are priced out or locked out, inequality spreads.
- Access to essentials and lower-cost services.
- Job applications, training and education.
- Health and public services increasingly moving online.
Removing barriers to getting online
We design our terms around insecure incomes and insecure housing, because those are real conditions of life in Brighton & Hove.
No contract lock-in
We do not use long-term contracts. They are unfair for many people, especially young renters who often cannot secure a tenancy longer than six months.
Free installations for homes
Upfront installation fees are a major barrier. We remove them entirely for homes.
No inflation-linked price rises
We do not add automatic inflation-linked increases mid-contract. The aim is stable pricing people can trust, not surprises baked into the calendar.
Human payment support
If a customer misses payments, we accept any reasonable payment plan. We work with people to catch up without shame or pressure.
We have never cut off a single subscriber for falling behind. That is a deliberate choice.
In the rare cases where we cannot reach a non-paying customer, we can pause their membership and slow down their connection until they are ready to continue. No one else does this. It is more disruptive for us operationally, but it is a more human way to handle real-life financial strain.
Ownership, costs & true affordability
Because we own our network end-to-end, we avoid the ongoing wholesale line rental costs that national ISPs must pay to use third-party infrastructure.
This changes what is possible. Our ongoing connection costs are extremely low, allowing us to support customers flexibly and sustainably, and to tolerate longer breakeven periods where inclusion matters more than speed of return.
Supporting Brighton’s independent businesses
Brighton’s small businesses and sole traders do not need enterprise complexity to get reliable fibre.
Larger national providers often apply the same slow, expensive treatment to a small shop as they do to a large corporation. We aim to connect local businesses quickly and more affordably.
Where appropriate, we also allow sole operators to use residential services to help keep costs down without compromising reliability.
Responsible growth & profit reinvestment
We have no external shareholders and a formal dividend lock.
Every pound stays in Brighton, invested directly into network expansion, reliability, and affordability.
Environmental responsibility
We aim to build a network that improves the city without adding unnecessary environmental cost.
- All-electric vehicle fleet.
- Recycled (non-virgin) ducting wherever possible.
- A build-once approach that avoids repeated disruption.
Looking ahead - expanding fair connectivity
We are developing a true low-cost tariff for residents receiving benefits.
Because we own the infrastructure, we can sustain longer breakeven periods than national ISPs. That lets us design terms around real life: short tenancies, variable income, and the need for stability without punitive clauses.
