News

Ultrafast better broadband for Bury: An important update

There is an exciting opportunity to bring ULTRAFAST Broadband to YOUR home or business (known as FTTP), utilising Government funding in conjunction with Openreach, one of the registered network build suppliers. 

Following Bury Parish Council’s request in late 2020, Openreach have designed a build solution that covers the overwhelming majority of domestic and business properties in the parish, although unfortunately not everyone will benefit.  

The UK Gigabit Voucher scheme available from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), means that every eligible address can claim a residential voucher worth up to £1,500 (or up to £3,500 for a business/sole trader) to improve broadband in their local area. Only one voucher can be claimed per address, so if you are a sole trader, or run a business or charity from home, we suggest you pledge on this basis.

By pledging your residential or business voucher, you’re taking the first step towards getting Ultrafast Full Fibre broadband. You’re also agreeing to install or regrade your broadband to an ultrafast package, within two weeks of the service becoming available. Full Fibre broadband is not as expensive as you might think. Prices vary by provider but are approximately £35 – £45 per month. And with various deals available at different times, you may find you are paying little more.

More details on T&C’s to follow.

The community can individually choose from one of the providers on this link:
https://www.openreach.com/fibre-broadband/fttp-providers

Some examples of FTTP service contract prices can be found here:
https://www.ispreview.co.uk/isp_list/ISP_List_Ultrafast_Broadband.php

Once Openreach receives approval from DCMS to proceed, they will launch the scheme within the community and Openreach will make a pledge webpage available to us. We will alert you when the webpage is launched, you will have 3 months to register your pledge. 

Approximate timeline for the scheme:

September 2021 – Openreach will launch the community pledge webpage
December 2021 – We will know when we have sufficient vouchers pledged
January 2022 – Once we have sufficient vouchers Openreach will begin building
Oct-Dec  2022 – The scheme will be complete

For updates, please register for the newsletter at: https://buryparishcouncil.org.uk