Over 3, order 300 small and medium businesses across the Cotswolds will soon be eligible for a non-repayable government grant to pay for communication speeds which exceed 30 Mbps.
Working in partnership with Gloucester City Council, Cotswold District Council has just received clearance to extend the BDUK broadband voucher scheme to a wide range of postcodes that will encompass at least 3,300 business premises in Cotswold District. This means that the companies can each obtain a grant worth up to £3,000 towards connection and construction charges for technologies that can deliver broadband (with the exception of satellite communications.)
The news has been hailed as a great technological breakthrough by the Council’s Cabinet Member for Enterprise and Partnerships, Cllr Chris Hancock:
“Our local businesses do a great job but there is no doubt that many have been hindered by very slow broadband speeds and ‘dead zones’ across many parts of the District, and there is now this great opportunity for thousands of traders to overcome these problems at no extra cost to them. In fact, realistically, the number of business potentially impacted is larger as our estimates are based on our business rates database and excludes micro businesses working from home.
“In the best of all possible worlds, some of our local traders could take maximum advantage of this development through a course of free internet training from experts at Google should they do well in the forthcoming Great British High Street awards.”
How to apply:
1.? ?Enter the postcode of your business at www.connectionvouchers.co.uk(opens in a new window)?
- If eligible you will get the following response:
- Your postcode is eligible. You now have 2 options to apply for a connection voucher
- Option 1: Choose an off the shelf deal designed to make your application simple. No forms. No fuss.
- Option 2: Off the shelf deal not for you? Get a quote from a broadband supplier in your area and complete an application.
2. The next step is to select a registered supplier to work with
- Under Option 1 select a package and the rest of the process is then handled through your chosen supplier – there is no application form to complete for a connection voucher
- Under Option 2 select a registered supplier – get a quote for the installation work from your chosen supplier – complete an application form for a connection voucher, and submit this together with your quote to the address on the form
For more details see www.gloucester.gov.uk/grants(opens in a new window) Broadband Connection Vouchers