Nine villages in Lincolnshire face the possibility of missing out on a full fibre broadband upgrade due to insufficient uptake of free government vouchers.
Openreach is collaborating with communities throughout the county, encouraging them to utilize these vouchers to offset the cost of network upgrades. While numerous residents have embraced the initiative, particularly in areas around Honington and North Kelsey, there has been limited interest in providing coverage to 1,700 premises in Aslackby, Dowsby, Friskney, Friskney Faudyke, Haltham, Kirkby Underwood, Mareham-le-Fen, Rippingdale, and Wood Enderby.
Wendy Sycamore, Openreach’s regional engagement manager for the Midlands, stressed the importance of residents in these villages pledging their vouchers, emphasizing that it only takes a few minutes and is cost-free. She hopes that the lack of interest is due to forgetfulness or time constraints rather than a lack of interest, given the significant opportunity for more than 1,700 homes and small businesses.
Sycamore also highlighted Openreach’s substantial investment of £15 billion in extending full fibre broadband to 25 million homes, with over six million of them located in the most challenging regions of the UK. Government support through initiatives like these vouchers is critical to achieving this ambitious goal.
Residents interested in determining their eligibility and pledging their vouchers can do so through the Connect My Community website. These vouchers, which come at no cost to residents, enable Openreach to collaborate with communities in building a tailor-made, co-funded network.
