The Universal Service Obligation (USO) was launched in 2018, and offers hope for broadband customers in rural and hard-to-reach areas who suffer from poor broadband speeds.
Under the USO, if your residential or business premises are unable to access a minimum 10Mbps (megabits per second) broadband connection, you can request that BT provides a quote to upgrade your connection. The government will contribute up to £3,400 towards the cost. You do not need to be an existing BT customer to access the scheme. For further details on the USO, click here.
Additionally, the government has launched its Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme. Where residential premises or businesses cannot access a minimum 100Mbps connection, the government will pay up to £1,500 per home and £3,500 per business to upgrade the connection. Crucially, the costs of upgrading connections in the most rural areas can often be in the region of £60,000 to £100,000 or even more: so the scheme enables you to group together with other residents and/or businesses in the same location, using the combined value of your vouchers to fund the upgrade. To find out more and apply, click here.
