WSCC announces an end to top-up on new schemes
Thank you again for your support in promoting West Sussex’s successful county-wide initiative to ‘top up’ the government’s national UK Gigabit Voucher scheme.
I am emailing to let you know that demand for the West Sussex ‘top ups’ continues to run high and we are now in sight of fully committing the available funding. The ‘top up’ will no longer be available to new registrations by new projects.
Across both of the national DCMS-led schemes more than 90 community projects are being supported by our ‘top up’ enabling around 13,000 additional homes and businesses to either directly receive a gigabit-capable connection or be able to do so if they wish in future. This represents an additional £12m in funding from DCMS and West Sussex Councils invested in gigabit-capable broadband infrastructure.
Early analysis shows that approximately 50% of premises that have claimed a voucher have less than superfast speeds currently and the scheme has had a big impact in hard-to-reach areas, helping to reduce the digital divide.
Whilst new projects are no longer be able to claim the ‘top up’ funding the national UK Gigabit Voucher scheme does remain open to eligible communities and we will continue to work to progress projects through that scheme, where it is able to support them.
The ‘top up’ is no longer available to new projects not already registered with DCMS.
Communities that are already registered can continue to progress their projects subject to meeting the ‘top up’ eligibility criteria whilst funding remains. DCMS will award remaining funding on a first come, first served basis.
