A broadband outage in rural Wales isn’t a small hiccup.
When the line dies here, it cuts straight across daily life. For families, it disrupts routines. For small businesses, it can freeze card machines and stop business dead. For disabled adults or anyone living alone, the silence can feel even louder.
Pembrokeshire depends heavily on fixed-line broadband because our mobile signal is patchy, unreliable, and sometimes non-existent.
So when the connection disappears, people can feel and become stranded quickly.
This isn’t scaremongering — it’s simply the reality of living in a county where digital access isn’t guaranteed. And that’s why it’s important to understand what your provider must do, when compensation starts, and what counts as an outage under Welsh consumer law.
What actually counts as a broadband outage in Wales?
Under Ofcom’s rules, an outage is not:
“The speed is bad today”
“It keeps buffering”
“WiFi is patchy”
“The router looks angry”
It means:
A total loss of service;
Caused by the broadband provider;
Lasting at least two full working days
Working days = Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays.
Weekends don’t count. Evenings don’t count.
If your broadband dies on a Friday, the “official” clock doesn’t start until Monday morning.
And this applies only to fixed-line broadband — not mobile data, not 4G routers, not hotspots.
The Automatic Compensation Scheme — what you’re owed
This is the Ofcom compensation rate currently in force (2024/25): £9.33 per day, paid from the third working day of total loss and given automatically as a bill credit when service is restored; You do have to report the outage to your broadband provider though.
Most major providers in Wales participate, including:
BT / EE
Sky
TalkTalk
Vodafone
PlusNet
Zen
Ogi (via their own terms — verified)
If your provider isn’t part of the scheme, they still fall under consumer law, but payment won’t be automatic.
What if I work from home and lose income?
This is the question everyone asks — and the answer frustrates almost everyone: Broadband providers are not liable for loss of earnings.
Not legally, not contractually, and not under Ofcom rules.
They do not cover:
Missed shifts
Cancelled bookings
Lost customers
Lost freelance income
Business disruption
Penalties for late uploads
Missed online meetings
Even if the outage was caused by:
A cut fibre
Roadworks
A failed cabinet
An engineer error
You still only receive the £9.33 per day - It isn’t fair, but it is the law.
What Pembrokeshire businesses can realistically do
When the broadband drops, local businesses usually fall back to:
Card machines running on 3G/4G (when available)
Paper booking sheets
Manual receipts
Delayed appointments
Verbal confirmations
Every business should:
Claim automatic compensation
Get a written outage confirmation (good for accounts or insurance)
Check whether their policy includes “business interruption cover”
Most home-based workers do not have that unless specifically added.
What your provider must legally do during an outage
Whether it's Ogi, BT, Sky or another provider, they must:
Take your fault report
Give you a fault reference number
Keep you updated
Coordinate repairs with Openreach or contractors
Apply compensation once fixed
You do not need to fight for these rights, they are automatic.
Your simple “the internet has died” checklist
Report it immediately - That starts the legal clock.
Keep your fault reference number - This is essential for compensation.
Check your next bill - The credit should appear automatically.
If it doesn’t, submit a complaint referring to the Automatic Compensation Scheme.
Why outages hit Pembrokeshire harder than most places
Our county relies heavily on fixed broadband because:
Many homes have poor or zero mobile signal
Many rural areas lack 4G entirely
Local digital infrastructure is still developing
Essential services assume reliable internet
So when the connection fails:
Businesses stall
Families lose access to banking
Adults can’t manage UC journals
Digital health information and applications, such as My Health, can't be used
People living alone feel cut off
Children can’t access homework
Online support becomes unreachable
Broadband isn’t a luxury anymore — it’s how modern life functions.
That’s why knowing your rights matters.
Closing
When broadband drops in Pembrokeshire, the impact is real, work pauses. Routines stop. People feel stranded in their own homes.
But you’re not powerless, you have rights.
There is a clear compensation scheme, and you shouldn’t be left guessing.
Broadband fails - Fairness shouldn’t.
