Help is available for rural Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises which are suffering the nightmare of slow broadband speeds.
The Government is offering cash support for the provision of ultrafast gigabit fibre broadband to people’s doorsteps.
Under its Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme it is giving eligible businesses and homes help to cover the cost of registered suppliers who can fit a full fibre connection.
Applicants in designated rural areas can apply for a voucher pledged to one of more than 200 registered suppliers of gigabit fibre broadband.
When a certain numbers of pledges have been received in the area, suppliers will invest in installation – speeding up the process by as much as two years.
All areas in the UK are set to be reached eventually by the national Project Gigabit with the roll-out to hard-to-reach areas subsidised by Government contracts awarded to broadband providers.
However the vouchers are on offer for those who do not want to wait.
Rural homes and businesses can use the vouchers to support the cost of installing new gigabit-capable connections when part of a group project.
They need to meet the following criteria:
- Their existing broadband speeds must be less than 100Mbps
- A gigabit capable network isn’t likely to be built in their area commercially in the near future
- There is no government-funded contract planned or in place to improve the network already.
The value of the vouchers varies depending on whether the connection will be used for private or business use, but is generally between £1,500 and £4,500.
For details go to Gigabit Vouchers (culture.gov.uk)
- Daily Focus has previously reported on research by the Federation of Small Businesses showing that rural firms are facing economic challenges including broadband problems, read more here.
