Three community broadband projects around Hexham have been dropped after missing a Government funding deadline, leaving one nearby scheme trying to secure enough support to continue.
The projects in Hexhamshire, Slaley and Healey, and Hexham West did not meet the August 31 deadline for new applications to the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme. Organisers say the schemes are no longer eligible for support through the programme.
What the funding scheme offered
The voucher programme offered grants of up to £4,500 per property towards installing full-fibre broadband in hard-to-reach areas. The loss of eligibility affects rural communities that had been pursuing locally organised alternatives to mainstream broadband provision.
Organisers say the Humshaugh Rural and Warden project could still go ahead if enough residents sign up in the coming weeks. It needs at least 100 customers and all required wayleaves to be agreed by mid-November. Wayleaves give permission for broadband cables to cross private land.
Volunteers involved in the scheme say only a small number of additional customers are needed, with most of the permissions already secured.
Public meeting planned
Residents can hear the latest project update and find out how to get involved at a public meeting at the Boatside Inn on Wednesday, October 28, at 6.30pm.
Fiona Lees-Millais, a volunteer involved in the project, said:
“We are working hard to meet the deadline as we realise this could be our last chance of high-speed internet, an essential nowadays. “Mainstream broadband suppliers are not interested in rural areas.”
If it proceeds, installation would likely be carried out by B4RN, or Broadband for the Rural North. The organisation is described as a not-for-profit provider that works with rural communities to deliver full-fibre broadband. A neighbouring Humshaugh Village scheme is already under construction.