Gigabit broadband 'top-up' voucher scheme launches

The Connecting Cheshire Partnership has announced a £2.9m investment to enable more rural communities to access gigabit broadband.

The investment by the partnership – consisting of Cheshire East Council, Cheshire West and Chester Council, Warrington Borough Council and Halton Borough Council – will top up the funding currently available through the government's Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme (GBVS), which is run by Building Digital UK (BDUK).

Many rural communities across the sub-region do not have access to high-speed broadband in their areas and there are no commercial plans to improve speeds for the majority of these rural areas in the locality in the next three years.

By combining the current GBVS – which provides eligible premises with up to £1,500 per residence and £3,500 per business – with the £2.9m investment by Connecting Cheshire into topping up projects, it means that more residents and businesses in rural areas will be able to come together to bridge the costs of installing a future-proofed fibre connection.

With the top-up, it means up to £4,000 is available per eligible residence and up to £7,000 per eligible business.

Applications for the top-up vouchers opened today (5 September 2022), with funding allocated on a first come, first served basis. Communities are strongly advised to apply as soon as they can to avoid disappointment.

Rural communities, residents, and businesses that currently can only access a broadband speed of less than 30mbps will be eligible for top-up funding subsidised by Connecting Cheshire, unless the area and premises in question are part of an already committed delivery plan to install fibre.

AudlemOnline has no idea whether this scheme can help people in our area to get better broadband speeds.
To find out more information on this scheme and how to take the necessary first steps, please visit: here.