Project Gigabit is the strategy to deliver a minimum of 85% gigabit-capable coverage across the UK by 2025. Through Project Gigabit, Voucher Scheme funding will be made available to eligible ISPs – including B4RN (Broadband for the Rural North).
B4RN works with DSIT, BDUK and Regional Government to ensure the best funding approach for our communities. For now, it is clear that the voucher scheme (now called UKGV) continues to have support and funding and is the best way to deliver gigabit broadband, working in partnership with rural communities.
BDUK (Building Digital UK) is an executive agency which is sponsored by DSIT (the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology), which was formerly known as DCMS (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport). BDUK administer the Project Gigabit voucher scheme and issue the voucher funding.
Broadband for the Rural North projects are funded by a combination of investment and voucher funding so we try to claim a voucher wherever possible towards the cost of our projects.
When you enter your details into the B4RN website, you are submitting a request for service. We will then apply for a voucher on your behalf as the supplier if your address is within one of our project areas and your property is eligible for a voucher.
You will receive a validation email from BDUK when your voucher has been requested. This may not happen for a while after you submit your request for service - as the vouchers are valid for a period of 12 months, we wait to request them until the work is progressing in your area. You will receive another validation email when you have live service and your voucher has been claimed.
You will be asked to provide evidence to show that you are trading from the address which you are claiming a voucher for. If you are working from home, as an employee of a company, you will not be eligible for a business voucher.
When a voucher is requested or claimed, you have 28 days to validate the voucher by clicking on the link in the email from BDUK. For requested vouchers, we can usually re-request them if they expire because they haven’t been validated by a customer. When a voucher is claimed however, the funding will be lost forever if you do not complete the validation within 28 days so this is when we may ask for help to contact the customer from our local groups.
If the voucher is residential, it will move to ‘issued’ as soon as it is validated - an ‘issued’ voucher means that the property is then ready to be connected. For business vouchers, BDUK will check any evidence that has been uploaded as part of the validation process so they will take longer to progress. If BDUK require any further information / evidence, they will contact the Voucher Team and we will then contact you by email - these vouchers will be marked as ‘disputed’ until they have all the information that they need.
There can be several reasons why a property may not be eligible for a voucher - if it does not have a UPRN (see below) or there are issues with how the UPRN is classified, if it has already received public funding towards a Gigabit capable connection or if data shows that the property can already receive a broadband speed of more than 100mbps.
If there is a doubt regarding a property already having received public funding, we can confirm if this is the case by contacting the local council. If there is a doubt regarding the speed, we will require evidence from the customer to challenge this - BDUK will accept emails or chat transcripts from a supplier which confirms that a property cannot have fibre or cannot receive speeds of over 100mbps. For UPRN issues we will usually contact the customer directly.
The UPRN is the Unique Property Reference Number which is allocated to every building in Great Britain. In order to be eligible for a voucher, the UPRN must be classified as ‘occupied / in use’, or an address will not be listed on the DCMS website. For any properties that are not on the BDUK site, we will contact the customer asking them to please contact their local planning authority.
B4RN projects are funded by a combination of investment and voucher funding. We are not able to request vouchers retrospectively after a customer has been made live. If we connect someone with a requested voucher and they do not click the link to validate the claim, the voucher value will be lost as we will not be able to re - request it later. Also, for business vouchers, when it moves to ‘issued’ we know that the evidence has been accepted and the voucher has progressed successfully.
No - you can send details to the Voucher Team at vouchers@b4rn.org.uk. We will need to know the business name and whether you are a sole trader / partnership / limited company.
BDUK will require evidence from a third party which includes the business name and the address that you are claiming the voucher for. This can be a utility bill or a recent business bank statement. For sole traders, they will also ask to see confirmation of the UTR (Unique Tax Reference) number on an official document or screenshot from HMRC. They will also accept a VAT number where applicable for partnerships.
If you would prefer to send your evidence directly to BDUK, please contact us at vouchers@b4rn.org.uk and we will be able to provide you with the email address and also the voucher reference that you need to quote to ensure that the information is linked to your application.
Unfortunately, a voucher cannot be transferred to another beneficiary or property so the voucher will have to be cancelled. If the new property owner wants to take service, they should submit a request via our website and we will request a new voucher in their name.
B4RN customers do not pay VAT.
Usually, BDUK will only accept one voucher application per person or per business however, there are a couple of exceptions. If a property has a tenant, the voucher should be requested in their name as they will be the person using the service. For vacant rental properties, or tenanted properties where the lease is due to end shortly, the landlord can apply even if they already have another request in their name. This rule also applies to the owners of holiday lets.
If a voucher is waiting to be linked to a topology then unfortunately it will not be visible on the CRM. Any of these requests are passed to the planners who can allocate the topology but if you have any specific queries, please email vouchers@b4rn.org.uk. We can also be contacted by telephone on 01524 958 370.
Unfortunately, churches and schools are not usually eligible for vouchers. Only small, independent churches are eligible.
PRP stands for Pre-Registered Package. Before we can request any vouchers, our projects (or PRPs) must be submitted to BDUK for their approval. As part of the process, a maximum level of voucher funding that can be claimed will be agreed and this is known as the PRP cap. The cap is different for every project as it is based on the costs involved for an individual area. To be eligible for a voucher, a property / postcode must be included within the PRP.
When we have been paid the maximum amount of voucher funding that we can claim for a project, we will then be able to connect all remaining properties without vouchers.
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