Scheme to bring ultrafast broadband to rural areas gets £22m funding boost

12 September 2020, 00:04

Broadband
Scheme to bring ultrafast broadband to rural areas receives funding boost. Picture: PA

The Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme can be used by homes and businesses in rural areas to subsidise the cost of adding ultrafast connectivity.

Rural areas of England suffering with some of the slowest internet speeds in the country have been given new hope of receiving ultrafast broadband with a £22.2 million funding boost for connections.

Extra money is being pumped into the Government’s Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme, which is designed to subsidise the cost of building gigabit-capable broadband networks in remote areas.

Improving the nation’s connectivity speeds was a key election pledge from Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who wants to bring gigabit-speed broadband to the whole of the UK in the next five years.

Gigabit broadband would make it possible to download an HD movie in less than 30 seconds.

The extra funding comes after reliable broadband became even more vital for many homes during the coronavirus pandemic, enabling people to work form home and stay connected with loved ones.

According to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), some 250,000 English homes and businesses are expected to be eligible from 17 English councils.

Digital Infrastructure Minister Matt Warman is urging businesses and communities to apply for the vouchers.

“This Government is determined to connect every home and business to the fastest broadband speeds available from the Highlands to the Jurassic Coast,” he said.

“But we can only do this with collaboration at a local and national level so I’m delighted English councils have committed to pump more money into our voucher scheme to help rural communities get gigabit speed broadband.

“A quarter of all properties across the UK can now access these fast and reliable speeds, and we have earmarked a further £5 billion so rural towns and villages across the four nations can get the speeds they need to seize all the benefits of new technology.”

The vouchers are worth up to £1,500 for rural homes and up to £3,500 for small and medium-sized businesses in rural areas, provided they apply as a collective of two or more properties.

Councils adding extra funding include the Borderlands, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, County Durham, Derbyshire, Dorset, East Riding of Yorkshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Sussex and Worcestershire.

Kent County Council also agreed to top up the scheme for a second time, after providing additional funding in September 2019.

By Press Association

More Technology News

See more More Technology News

The ancient lost world was discovered in East Antarctica.

Lost world unearthed beneath Antarctica ice after 34 million years

Taoiseach Micheal Martin, Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly during the British-Irish Council (BIC) summit at the Slieve Donard resort in C

Leaders share healthcare and efficiency hopes for AI at British-Irish Council

Three and Vodafone

VodafoneThree promises better coverage at ‘no extra cost’ within months

The Khankhuuluu species weighed 750 kilograms, about the size of a horse

Newly discovered ‘Dragon Prince’ dinosaur rewrites history of T.rex

Aviation technology company Sita said 33.4 million bags were mishandled in 2024, compared with 33.8 million during the previous year.

Airlines lose fewer bags as tracking tech takes off as bosses say passengers expect similar service to a 'delivery app'

Social media app icons displayed on an Apple iPhone

Social media giants can ‘get on’ and tackle fraud cases, says City watchdog

Experts have warned about the risks posed by period tracking apps (Alamy/PA)

Experts warn of risks linked to period tracker apps

Data (Use and Access) Bill

Lords’ objections to Data Bill over copyright threatens its existence – minister

A primary school teacher looking stressed next to piles of classroom books

Pupils could gain more face-to-face time with teachers under AI plans

A self-driving Uber equipped with cameras and sensors drives the streets of Washington, DC

Uber to launch self-driving taxis in London next spring

Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle

Investments in UK tech sector will create hundreds of jobs, says Government

Rachel Reeves, left, wearing a lab coat and putting on some disposable gloves with Peter Kyle, both standing next to a microscope

Rachel Reeves to announce £86bn for science and technology in spending review

View of the Alphawave Semi logo is seen displayed on a smartphone screen

Alphawave agrees £1.8bn takeover by America’s Qualcomm

The TikTok logo displayed on a phone

TikTok creating more than 500 new British jobs as UK users top 30 million

Starmer visit to London Tech Week conference

Sir Keir Starmer vows to overcome sceptical public on ‘harnessing power’ of AI

A sign for the Post Office

More than £1 billion paid to those wronged by Horizon scandal, Government says