Please note: The Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme will pause from 24 September 2021 and reopen towards Summer 2022 (date to be confirmed). The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) are launching a procurement for the North East of England that will result in gigabit-capable broadband coverage for thousands of properties. The GBVS needs to be placed on hold while DCMS go through the process to contract for this delivery.
More funding has been made available to help County Durham’s rural residents and businesses access a gigabit-capable broadband service.
Durham County Council will pay up to an additional £1,500 per residential premises and £3,500 per SME to help connect harder-to-reach communities. This ‘top-up’ doubles the funding amount currently available under the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme (GBVS) for eligible applicants. For homes, the maximum funding per voucher is £3,000, while SMEs (small and medium-enterprises) can claim up to £7,000.
The top up is available to rural properties, that are part of the Durham County Council local authority area, and have download speeds of 30 Megabits per second (Mbps) or less.
The vouchers must be used as part of a group project of two or more properties in the same community, as this allows for the funding to be pooled together to subsidise the cost of installing a connection.
Funding is available on a first-come, first-served basis until the end of March 2021, when applications to the scheme will close.
Follow the instructions below to check if your area is eligible or contact us with any questions about the scheme.
How do I check if my area is eligible?
- Visit the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme website and use the postcode checker to find out if you are eligible.
If you are potentially eligible for the top-up funding, you will see a message advising that increased funding may be available in County Durham.
- The next step is to select and contact one of the registered suppliers detailed as ‘Active’ in County Durham on the Gigabit website.
Your supplier will help confirm what funding your community is eligible for. A separate application for the top-up funding is not required.
