Grants Available For Derbyshire Residents To Access Faster Broadband

A project which allows residents and businesses with poor broadband speeds to apply for a grant to access a faster service has been extended by a year.

Derbyshire County Council have welcomed the move for the extension of the grants which are available from the Government-led ‘Better Broadband’ Subsidy Scheme.

Homes and businesses could be eligible for a grant if:

• they are unable to access a broadband service with a download speed of at least 2Mb per second
• they are not receiving a download speed of at least 2Mb per second with their current provider and there is no alternative broadband service available
• there are no plans to provide fixed fibre broadband where they live within six to 12 months of submitting a grant application.

A grant can be used towards the cost of the set up and installation of a satellite, wireless or 4G broadband service and equipment up to the value of £350.

Applications will close on Monday 31 December 2018.

The Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport and Infrastructure Councillor Simon Spencer said:

“This is fantastic news for residents and businesses in Derbyshire with poor broadband speeds.

“For most of us the internet plays a vital role in our lives whether it’s for personal or business use so having a quick and reliable download speed is really important.

“It’s a key priority of ours to ensure that Derbyshire gets full broadband coverage and these grants are a significant step towards helping residents and businesses access better services.”

Grants from the Better Broadband Subsidy Scheme can also be used in connection with BT’s Community Fibre Partnership.

Digital Derbyshire − a multi-million pound partnership between the DCC and BT − has already made fibre-optic broadband technology available to more than 90,000 homes and businesses across Derbyshire.

Fibre broadband helps make everything happen online much faster than a standard broadband connection, with download speeds in certain areas of up to 330Mbps.

Apply or find out more about the Better Broadband Subsidy Scheme.

The Better Broadband Subsidy Scheme does not cover the monthly subscription costs for any service.