If you haven't seen the leaflet and want to find out more about the scheme read on:

​

Are you an Appledore resident? Would you like faster broadband?
WE CAN DO IT WITH YOUR HELP!

 

The broadband speed in parts of Appledore falls far short of what many of us would like and Openreach do not have plans to improve, or upgrade it.

As a rural community Appledore qualifies for Government and Kent County Council voucher schemes to fund a broadband upgrade, but we need to work together to get the funds. If we do the result will be full fibre broadband directly into our houses that is capable of delivering a 1000Mb service, a huge difference from the basic 36Mb and maximum 72Mb currently available in the village.

The upgrade is likely to be fully funded by the available schemes, but we need your support to make it happen.

A similar scheme is already under way in Stone.

Some Appledore residents can claim a larger sum than those in Stone were able to. The Government Rural Gigabit Voucher Scheme will issue vouchers worth £2,500 per residentail property and £3,500 per business. The Kent Top Up scheme can only be used in conjunction with the government one and will increase the total voucher value to a maximum of £7,000 for difficult to connect residential properties or businesses.

What’s the catch? Each property signing up must commit to taking an internet service at least double their existing speed for at least 12 months. As an example, the current cost difference from a 36Mb basic service to a 145Mb fibre service would be approximately £13 per month. This is only payable if the scheme goes ahead. At this point there is no commitment, just an expression of interest.

The voucher scheme finishes in March 2021 and funds are limited, so we need to move quickly to take advantage of it.

OUR AIM IS TO COLLECT THE DETAILS OF EVERYONE WHO WANTS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SCHEME BY 22 DECEMBER.

​

Next Steps & what we can expect

1. COLLECT THE DETAILS OF THOSE WHO WANT TO PARTICIPATE
We need to collect the details of all the residents and businesses that would like to take part in the scheme and are comfortable with upgrading.

Time is limited, please click the link above and fill in the form now!
The details we need are:
Full name, address & landline number
Email address
Whether the address is residential or a registered business
It would be helpful (but not essential) to know the speed your existing broadband service provides. Use the Ofcom checker

If you have any questions or need help, please call Mary Philo 01797 270790
The Parish Council is a registered data handler, details will only be used for this scheme.

2. CONTACT OPENREACH
Once we have gathered the data we will contact Openreach who will supply a cost for the full fibre upgrade.

3. EMAIL FROM DCMS
Participants will receive an email from the Government department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) inviting you to accept the terms and conditions of the residential or business Gigabit Voucher that Openreach have applied for on your behalf.

4. DECISION TIME
If the vouchers cover the cost we can contract with Openreach for the fibre network to be built. If there were to be a shortfall we could as a community consider other funding options, or decide not to progress.

5. DELIVERING THE FULL FIBRE NETWORK
Once the contract is signed, building the network is expected to take 12 months.

6. YOUR FULL FIBRE SERVICE
When the upgrade is complete participants will sign up for one of the new faster services, which may mean changing provider. For a list of which providers are available see the Openreach list