Community Broadband Grant
The Fastershire Community Broadband Grant is targeting the final 3-4% of properties in Herefordshire and Gloucestershire that still require access to a superfast broadband of 30mbps or more.
The scheme is entirely funded by Herefordshire Council and Gloucestershire County Council and designed to help find a solution specific for each community. Fastershire will fund up to a maximum of £500,000 per community project.
What does the scheme aim to provide?
The grant aims to provide these access to superfast connection (30mbps or above), but the scheme will only invest in networks that are capable of providing access to gigabit connections (1,000mbps).
In some cases, the solution may mean using a new supplier or different technology to reach a deeply rural community, or to extend an existing network further to reach outlying properties that were too expensive to connect.
How does the scheme work?
Step 1: Individual residents and businesses will submit an Expression of Interest (EOIs)
Step 2: When there is sufficient interest from an area, we will bring the EIOs together to form a ‘community’
Step 3: We will support the ‘community’ to develop a ‘Request for Quotation’ (RFQ) which will be published on the grant’s online procurement portal
Step 4: Broadband network suppliers will then have 28days to view the RFQ and submit their bids
Step 5: We will evaluate any received quotes and make a formal recommendation to the community
Step 6: The contract will be specific to that community and will be awarded by the community to the supplier
Step 7: We will release payment to the supplier when community have confirmed the network has been delivered
Submit an Expression of Interest
To see if your property is eligible for the Stage 5 Community Broadband Grant, please use the address checker above. If your property is eligible the address checker will display the Expression of Interest form*.
*For information about how this information is used, please read the Community Grant Privacy Notice, click here.
Herefordshire Business Grant
Herefordshire Council has launched an additional grant to target those remaining hardest to reach businesses.
The grant is available to those premises that we have been unable to find a solution for under the Community Broadband Grant Scheme.
The business grant scheme works is the same way as the Community Broadband Grant but allows those hardest to reach business premises in Herefordshire to access a grant up to £20,000 per property, to cover up to 80% of the capital installation cost.