Bristol Based Businesses to Receive Broadband Boost

Bristol receives £4.8 million of funding to help small and medium sized businesses gain access to high grade, high speed broadband.

Bristol is to receive £4.8 million to help small and medium sized businesses upgrade to a high speed, high grade, broadband connection.

Announced in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement on December 5, this funding is provided by the Department of Culture, Media & Sport’s Superconnected Cities £100 million connection voucher scheme.

Connection Vouchers cover the upfront capital cost of broadband installation up to the value of £3,000. Bristol businesses are eligible to apply for the connection vouchers, providing they have less than 250 employees, a turnover of less than £40m and meet EU ‘de minimis’ criteria. EU de minimis rules limit the amount of grant aid that companies can receive from public funds.

Applying is simple and available from today (7 December) until 31 March 2015. Businesses simply go to www.connectionvouchers.co.uk/eligibility-checker to check their eligibility. Following this, they need to obtain two quotes from registered suppliers (details of these are on the website). Once this is done, they can complete the connection voucher application process via www.connectionvouchers.co.uk.  

Vouchers are limited so Bristol businesses are advised to apply as soon as possible in order to have the best chance of securing a voucher.

High speed, high grade broadband presents many benefits to businesses across all sectors. It can empower businesses to operate more efficiently, saving time and resources, therefore increasing productivity and helping them be more competitive in their sector. Practical benefits – among many - include transferring large files quickly, remote working, streaming online content more efficiently, and accessing cloud storage (reducing the need for costly servers).

Mayor of Bristol George Ferguson said: “This is a hugely valuable opportunity for the Bristol business community and I wholeheartedly support this investment to help build our city’s digital infrastructure. Connectivity drives innovation and new opportunities which are essential to the success of our business community, and to build a strong sustainable local economy. I would urge all eligible businesses to look into the financial support and business benefits that the Connection Vouchers Scheme presents.”