Government launches broadband satellite voucher scheme

The government has announced it is going to provide satellite dishes to remote homes and businesses that are not able to gain access to broadband.

Current plans aim to have 95 per cent of Britain able to access superfast broadband by 2017. However, this has raised questions of what will come of the 'final five per cent', which are located in parts of the UK that are not deemed economically viable for fibre deployment and not included in government-funded projects like Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK).

In its summer Budget earlier this year, the Conservative Party stated: "We will ensure no one is left behind by subsidising the cost of installing superfast capable satellite services in the very hardest to reach areas."

Now the government has revealed that is will be launching a new voucher scheme that will enable residents and businesses in these remote regions to apply for funding for new satellite dishes to be attached to their property that will pick up broadband signals. The vouchers will cover the cost of the satellite dishes and the installation, but the applicants will have to cover the monthly costs, which are expected to be around £25.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has said that two pilots of the voucher scheme will be held in Suffolk and West Yorkshire with the intention of expanding the initiative across the UK, according to The Telegraph.

Ed Vaizey, the communications minister, commented: "More than 83 per cent of the UK can already access superfast speeds, and over the next two years we will reach 95 per cent of the country with superfast broadband.

"As superfast roll out progresses, we promised every home would be able to access speeds of at least two megabits per second by the end of this year. These pilot schemes are part of our commitment to delivering this."

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