Connection speeds for residents of Cambois are now 20 times faster after signing up for the government’s Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme.
The £210million scheme aims to support rural communities such as Cambois with the cost of installing new gigabit-enabled connections and is part of a wider £5billion investment in The Gigabit Project, the largest largest broadband upgrade in UK history.
The Gigabit Broadband Voucher scheme provides a grant of up to £1,500 for residents and up to £3,500 for businesses towards the cost of installing gigabit-enabled broadband. It allows households and businesses to join together to increase a project’s total grant to cover most or all of the installation costs in eligible areas.
Faster broadband was installed by FACTCO. Its managing director, Lee Murphy, said: “We noticed that improving connectivity required a team of specialists to help bridge the digital divide between rural and urban areas. So we have moved on and are now working hard to support businesses and homes across the UK by connecting them to fiber optic broadband. With our support, communities and businesses will now be able to enjoy what greater connectivity can do for them and their daily lives.
The current average internet speed in Northumberland is just 57 Mbps, but in many areas it is even slower. The Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme allows registered residents to receive up to 1,000 Mbps, meaning they can download TV shows in just three seconds and improve their download and download speeds by ten times the current rate.
Michael Hurbert, Cambois resident and pub owner, said: “We tried to show football matches when the lockdown started to ease, but our customers were agitated by blurry screens and constant buffering.
“The difference this will make in our lives, in the lives of our neighbors and how it will help my business to thrive is going to be amazing. With this new program we can’t wait to show the World Cup this winter.”
Led by Community Fiber Manager for Northumberland, Janine Docherty, the project provides a free gigabit broadband facility for residents and businesses. FACTCO then continues to support communities by offering affordable contracts, starting at just £24.99. The company also keeps a price promise and guarantees customers no price increases for the duration of their fixed contracts of 12 to 36 months.
Councilor Richard Wearmouth, Cabinet Member responsible for iNorthumberland, said: “We are delighted that our residents can now access better broadband. Connectivity is so important for work and play, which has been exemplified by the pandemic. I would like to express my thanks to FACTCO and Project Gigabit for all their hard work and I’m excited to see more locations benefiting from this new super-fast broadband in the future.”
If you think your community or business needs broadband support, register your interest and find out if you qualify for the Gigabit Voucher Scheme project via www.factco.co.uk/projects/cambois/ or contact FACTCO on 0333 305 7560.
