Broadband top-up voucher scheme

The County Council recognises that bringing digital connections to hard-to-reach areas of Essex is key to boosting the economy.

Building Digital UK (BDUK)’s Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme (GBVS) currently subsidises the costs of bringing gigabit-capable broadband to areas with poor broadband speeds. Essex County Council will top-up existing GBVS to allow a maximum of £15,000 per business and £8,500 per residence.

To be eligible for the GBVS top-up scheme your address must:

• Be unable to access superfast broadband speeds (below 30 Mbps)

• Be in a rural area of the county

• Not be in plans for a gigabit-capable service – either from a commercial operator or government-funded scheme

How to apply:

1 - Find a registered supplier and sign up for a gigabit-capable broadband connection. Please note, the BDUK website will likely show that vouchers are paused and your address as not being eligible – this isn't always the case, so please continue working through the steps.

2 - Your selected supplier will request a voucher from BDUK who will check eligibility and confirm with the supplier that they're happy to proceed.

3 - Your selected supplier will build the connection to all the addresses included in your application.

4 - Once finished, your supplier will inform BDUK that the work has completed and that you have taken up a service.

5 - BDUK will check with you that your service is live and working.

6 - BDUK will run some further checks. Once everything has been confirmed, BDUK will pay the supplier the voucher and top-up funds.

If you need further help and information you can contact Digital Essex using our online contact form.

The scheme is managed by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) and not Essex County Council. No separate application is required as eligible properties will receive the top-up funding when benefiting from a Gigabit Broadband Voucher through a registered supplier.