1,000 Manchester firms use govt broadband scheme
Around a thousand companies in the Manchester area have taken advantage of a government scheme to help them upgrade their business broadband connections.
Ed Vaizey, the Digital Economy and Culture Minister, explained that 1,000 firms in Manchester and Salford have already used the Broadband Connection Vouchers scheme.
The government representative visited one such business, the North Star Deli in Manchester's Northern Quarter, to explain how the £3,000 grant works.
He told the Manchester Evening News: "The main problem when getting connected is in rural areas, but we also knew there was a problem in cities. A lot of people were finding it expensive to get broadband or just weren’t sure about it.
"So we set up this voucher scheme so small businesses like North Star Deli could get connection effectively for free and see the benefits of getting superfast broadband."
Mr Vaizey pointed out that the Broadband Connection Vouchers scheme offers companies a grant, not a loan, with the only money they need to pay in order to get an improved business broadband system being VAT.
The Broadband Connection Vouchers programme is currently active in 22 cities all over the UK and Mr Vaizey claimed broadband is becoming as important as water and electricity.
He added: "Broadband is becoming more and more important for people. You can’t really run a business without being connected."
Adam Berlyne, who runs the North Star Deli, explained that the business upgraded to a new business broadband system a few weeks ago and he is "really happy" with it.
He said: "The particular location of our cafe in the Northern Quarter is home to creative and IT people and they are a lot of our regular customers. And they love it which is very good for us and them."
In December, chancellor George Osborne announced a further £40 million is to be made available from April 2015 to March 2016 in order to support more cities administer the Broadband Connection Voucher Scheme.
Businesses looking to move services into the cloud should evaluate the performance of their existing network and consider setting up a leased line or MPLS network.
(Image: Bidgee)
