UK Government Reduces Minimum Grant for Broadband Connection Vouchers

The Government’s Connection Vouchers scheme, which forms part of the £150m Urban Broadband Fund (“Super-Connected Cities“) to help SME businesses install superfast broadband (30Mbps+), has now completed its roll-out to all 22 cities across the United Kingdom and reduced the minimum voucher value.

Until recently the scheme, which accounts for around £100m of the UBF, offered grants worth between £250 to £3,000 +vat for individual premises (i.e. any SME of up to 249 employees with a turnover no greater than £40 million per annum) to help them get connected to a 30Mbps+ Internet service, although eligible businesses still have to pay the VAT, line rental and any general service charges.

However it appears as if the Government’s Department for Business, Innovation & Skills has made a couple of small-ish changes to the vouchers, which came into effect on 7th April 2014. Firstly there’s been a reduction to the minimum value of a connection voucher from £250 to £200, which should help to include some cheaper connectivity solutions for the smallest businesses.

In addition, ISPreview.co.uk understands that the application process itself has also been simplified, thus only one quote is now needed from a registered supplier (instead of two).

The scheme is currently still expected to run until March 2015, which is of course right before the next general election when Government politicians will seek to boast about any successes they can muster; assuming you can ignore how the original infrastructure development aspect of the UBF was removed over competition concerns (here).

Broadband Connection Vouchers
https://www.connectionvouchers.co.uk/suppliers/