Local newspaper Cumbria Crack has reported that rural communities are being urged to take advantage of voucher funding from the Digital Borderlands scheme, to help them secure faster and more reliable internet connections

Vouchers are currently available across rural areas in the UK to subsidise the cost of bringing gigabit-capable broadband services to areas suffering from slow internet speeds.

As part of the £394.5m Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal, up to £4m of additional government funding has been made available to ‘top-up’ these vouchers, so more money is available to improve digital connectivity and boost the regional economy.

Meanwhile, ISPreview has reported that only 64 percent of UK properties have a ‘decent broadband’ (10Mbps+) service and a third are suffering from ‘inadequate throughputs’, according to a study conducted between September and November 2020.

The study found that while those in urban areas were more likely to feel isolated by poor home internet connectivity, rural respondents were more likely to act on it.

Some 60 percent of people in urban areas admitted they felt unable to communicate effectively with others at some points during this year, yet this was the case for only 43 percent living in rural areas.

In terms of addressing these issues, 27 percent of all respondents said they would change their internet service provider if the problems persisted, increasing to 39 percent for those living in rural areas.

Full articles:

Cumbria Crack - Call for rural communities to take advantage of extra funding to boost digital connectivity in Cumbria

ISPreview - GWS Finds Digital Divide in the UK from Slow Broadband Speeds