Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme

The new Gigabit Broadband Scheme launched on 8th April 2021

What is your experience of this scheme if you have used it?

I haven’t used it personally but in this next phase (1b) there seems to be a real focus on rural areas which is great to see!

Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Norfolk, Shropshire, Suffolk and Worcestershire are the next big areas- although a Government Minister confirmed this will not be set in stone until June.

He also mentioned: “£110m for rural schools, libraries and GP practices – so if you have communities that need help now, it is available. This money is targeted at the hard to reach communities least likely to benefit from commercial deployment; in April the Department will launch an eligibility checker for people to confirm whether they and their community are eligible.”

I saw a Facebook user mentioned that "in its election manifesto the government promised to roll out gigabit broadband to every home in the country by 2025. Last November that commitment was changed to 85%. The total budget is £5bn - but only £1.2 billion for the period up to 2024. When will the rest arrive?

It seems it’s getting to the right areas but not as fast as we would like