Connecting Dorset – a guide to broadband support schemes

Is your slow broadband driving you mad? 

If so, there are some national schemes that could help you increase your speeds. 

And looking into the future, Dorset is set to benefit from significant financial investment that could help bring gigabit-capable broadband to many of our areas. 

 But what help is out there right now? 

 Apply now 

Universal Service Obligation (USO) 

This is jointly run by OFCOM and BT and is there to offer a solution to anyone who receives speeds of less than 10 Mbps. 

If you live in a good area for mobile coverage, the USO will offer you 4G home broadband, which will enable you to achieve speeds of around 30 Mbps using a 4G router.

The router will be sent to you free of charge, but you will have to pay for a monthly internet service. 

If you live in an area where a 4G router Home Hub will not work, the USO will offer a subsidy of £3,400 towards the installation of full fibre to the premises.  

For more details and to check your eligibility click here: Universal Service Obligation (USO) for Broadband (bt.com) 

Register now 

UK Gigabit Voucher scheme 

This government scheme offers subsidy to rural households and businesses towards the installation of ‘gigabit capable’ broadband. 

The scheme offers vouchers worth £1,500 per residential household and £3,500 for small and medium sized businesses. 

Dorset Council has also added additional funding into the scheme which, while it is available, increases voucher values to £2,500 for residents and £6,000 for businesses. (This limited ‘top-up fund’ will be issued on a first come, first served basis). 

Who is eligible: 

To be eligible you must be based in a rural location (as defined by the Office for National Statistics) and receive broadband speeds of less than 100 Mbps. 

Crucially, your rural area must also not be included in any future commercial fibre roll-out plans. 

You can find out if you pass the eligibility criteria by inputting your postcode here: Gigabit Vouchers (culture.gov.uk) 

How the voucher scheme works: 

Individual households or businesses cannot apply on their own. Voucher funding will only be released when at least two households and/or businesses apply. 

This is a community scheme and works best when as many households and businesses come together and register for vouchers. 

In our experience, the voucher scheme works best when a local person or group of local people act as ‘voucher champions’ and encourage their neighbours to register. 

First, you need to find an approved broadband supplier and register your interest in voucher funding with them. You can find suppliers here: Gigabit Vouchers (culture.gov.uk) 

Each supplier works differently, and they will tell you what needs to happen next after you have registered. 

All suppliers will take control of applying for the funding from government – you do not need to apply for the vouchers yourselves. 

Your commitment: 

If you register for voucher funding you will be committing yourself to increasing your broadband speed. 

People who receive speeds of less than 50 Mbps will need to take a new internet service of at least 50; people who receive between 50 and 100 Mbps will have to take a service of at least 100 Mbps. 

The timeframe: 

It can take up to 12 months for fibre to be installed using the voucher scheme. 

Looking ahead 

Project Gigabit 

You may have seen on the news that Dorset is soon to benefit from government funding to help bring gigabit capable broadband to more of our areas. This is called Project Gigabit.  

Under Project Gigabit, the government will oversee contracts with broadband suppliers to bring fully state-funded, gigabit capable broadband to eligible areas. 

The council is in the process of conducting an Open Market Review to establish what commercial plans broadband suppliers have for Dorset in the next three years. This work will help identify the areas  that are not due to be covered commercially and could therefore potentially benefit from Project Gigabit funding.  

When that work has been completed, broadband suppliers will be invited to bid for the Project Gigabit work. 

The roll-out of gigabit capable broadband under Project Gigabit is expected to begin at the end of this year/beginning of next year. 

Bringing full fibre to community hubs 

More full fibre infrastructure will be coming into Dorset thanks to funding from Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership and the government. 

Sixty community hubs in north Dorset, like libraries, village halls and schools, will receive full fibre from this summer until March 2022. 

A further 100+ hubs across Dorset are also set to benefit from full fibre in a follow-up project funded by the government and due to get underway in 2022. 

By bringing full fibre into the heart of villages and towns it is hoped it will be easier for surrounding residents and businesses to tap into. 

Need more advice? 

If you have any further questions on any of the above please email us at connectingdorset@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk