Digital technology underpins almost every aspect of modern living across work, travel, leisure and health, and good internet access is now widely viewed as the ‘4th utility’. Fast, reliable connectivity is vital to support business growth, help rural communities to thrive, improve health and well-being, and make it easier for people to get online and access public services. 

However, many residents are not aware of the services they can receive or are not able to receive sufficient speeds to be able to get online and access day to day services. 

Many homes across the country are being upgraded daily through commercial or state aid plans so it is important that you are aware of what speeds you could be receiving. A simple phone call to your internet service provider can help with that. 

If sufficient broadband is not available at your property, there are other options for getting the broadband speeds you need. You may be eligible for financial support to install faster broadband.

Welsh Government offer a scheme that supports solutions for homes and businesses by providing grants to fund the installation costs of new broadband connections. The scheme allows up to £800 to cover the cost of installation and it is dependent on the speed of the new connection. This can include 4G broadband solutions, fixed wireless or satellite. 

Support is available from the UK Government to connect rural communities with gigabit-capable broadband called the Rural Gigabit Voucher scheme. The Government is providing up to £210m worth of voucher funding as immediate help for people experiencing slow broadband speeds in rural areas. Vouchers worth up to £1,500 for homes and £3,500 for businesses help to cover the costs of installing gigabit broadband to people’s doorsteps. Those with speeds of less than 30Mbps may be eligible for additional funding from the Welsh Government towards these costs. In total up to £3000 could be available per home and £7000 per business to help you fund your community solution.

If you are not part of a community needing faster broadband there are options available for individual properties. The Universal Service Obligation (USO) is a UK Government initiative designed to give households and businesses the legal right to request a decent affordable broadband connection. 

There is a digital connectivity officer with Carmarthenshire County Council that can help with your enquiries. You can contact via email at cejenkins@carmarthenshire.gov.uk or call on 07929751998. 

Alternatively, you can find more information on:

This project has received funding through the Welsh Government Rural Communities - Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the Welsh Government.