Category: Eligibility

A partner recently raised a concern about some customers who appear to be swapping their existing internet connection for a Jump connection (including some library staff), simply because it is cheaper; they felt this went against the spirit of the programme, especially at a time when we have a shortage of Jump modems.

Alan Bucheler, who is the Skinny Jump programme lead at the Spark Foundation, responded with an excellent explanation – I am repeating it below:

“As the cost of living increases, we know that for some people paying for an internet connection may seem like a luxury they need to go without, so that they can still afford essentials like food, petrol or rent.  This is why Skinny Jump exists – so that anyone who finds that cost is a barrier to having an internet connection at home can still participate in an increasingly digital world. This is why we operate on a high trust model rather than income testing customers when signing them up to Skinny Jump –  to remove any barriers to people getting connected.  

Jump has a wide range of customers who include families with children, people living in social housing, seniors, refugees and new migrants, people with disabilities, and people on low incomes. Affordability looks different for everyone, which means that some library staff and their households could meet the Skinny Jump eligibility criteria. 

Jump is capped at 210GB a month, which allows customers to do the essentials – like applying for jobs, online learning, banking and emails. However, 210GB is not enough data for streaming services or gaming, and we believe that this data cap acts as a deterrent for customers who are just looking for a cheaper deal on an internet connection. Skinny has a number of commercial plans in market for customers looking for low-cost internet options, that might better suit their needs.” 

A question this morning from a family in Covid-19 lockdown with 3 school-aged children.  They have no broadband at their temporary accommodation and are unsure about when they will be able to return to their home or when their children can return to school.  They are currently using their mobile phone as a hotspot for internet connectivity, but are finding this very expensive.

The answer is yes; they are eligible for Jump.  When they return to their home, they need to contact the Skinny Helpdesk to advise a change of address if they wish to continue using Jump.

This is not much different to families in emergency accommodation, who for the last three years have been able to connect to Jump while they are in temporary accommodation and take their Jump modem with them when they move to a more permanent location (assuming of course their new address is in a Skinny Jump coverage area).

The Jump eligibility criteria make it very clear that Jump is for households without a broadband internet connection.  But this doesn’t stop people applying and putting forward their case.  In most cases we have accepted their application.  The scenarios we have accepted and those we have declined are summarised below.  Most of the 60 (2%) we have declined are because of no Skinny wireless coverage.

Accepted

1. A senior on a fixed income is struggling to maintain the cost of an ‘on account’ service.
2. An unemployed person can’t afford to keep a fixed line service.
3. I am in a self-contained 2-bedroom sleep-out without access to the internet.
4. Person living in rural community, referred by Health Services Provider, has the internet, but it’s too expensive.
5. My brother had a Skinny jump modem, but he no longer resides here.
6. Rural broadband is unreliable and insufficient for work and online learning for kids.
7. I only have access the the internet from my smartphone.
8. The other property with owners on site has internet, but I do not and cannot use their internet.
9. A rural family has a capped Vodafone service that is unreliable and stops working when the cap is reached. Requires a supplementary service for a high school student.
10. Wifi can not be installed in my Nana’s retirement village under current lockdown conditions. Jump is so much more affordable.
11. We are moving out of Mum’s house next week.
12. Previously had Jump modem, but modem lost in burglary.
13. There is a paid WiFi service in our accommodation but it is cost prohibitive at $100 per month.
14. Very inconsistent ADSL; not suitable for our needs.
15. Existing provider disconnected 4 months ago because of overdue fees.
16. My current internet connection cannot sustain work conference calls.
17. Broadband connection is very slow and unreliable.  It is not possible for 3 high school children and teacher to use for work/schooling.
18. I am unable to afford my next internet bill and will be disconnected before the end of the month.
19. Unable to afford data to join class.
20. We live in a camping ground.
21. Social housing tenant paying $129 per month for internet which she is struggling to maintain.
22. I am currently in a motel and not sure where we will end up after the lockdown.
23. I am in temporary emergency housing; the signal from the tower provides a very poor signal in my cabin.

Declined

1. A teacher working from home requires extra data to teach from home.
2. A migrant worker with an internet connection, but wanting a separate connection for his kids ‘to get online learning’.
3. Outside Skinny wireless coverage area.

For anyone wanting to switch from an existing service it is important that they understand the full impact of making the change, i.e.

1. Will they face any costs in terminating their existing connection; there could be an early termination fee if they are on a fixed term contract? Make sure they have contacted their existing provider to understand these costs, e.g. as a minimum there is likely to be a requirement for one month’s notice.
2. Do they fully understand the extra effort involved in managing a prepay account requiring regular top-ups?
3. Do they understand the data cap (150GB per month) that applies to Jump connections?