200 more Satellite Broadband Grants for rural businesses in the South East

Wired Sussex has been appointed by the South East of England Development Agency to manage the reallocation of 200 grants to businesses and organisations in the South East.

Small and medium sized businesses are the target audience but the £140,000 grant pool is also available for other organisations (e.g. schools, clinics) and community projects. 200 eligible organisations can apply for a £700 grant for a Satellite Broadband connection.

Grants will be available on a first-come, first-served basis and recipients will be expected to provide Wired Sussex and SEEDA with feedback on their experience. As well as assisting organisations to obtain affordable and fast connectivity the programme is designed to raise awareness of the benefits of Broadband and stimulate demand.

Eligibility Criteria:

• The installation address must be within the South East Region (Berks, Bucks, Hants, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxon, Surrey, East & West Sussex). Only 1 grant and 1 installation address is permitted per organisation.
• Grants cannot be provided retrospectively. To maintain eligibility, you will need to receive approval in writing before contracting a supplier and undergoing installation.
• Broadband must not already be installed within the organisation at another location.
• The company or organisation must be located in an area where the local exchange is not ADSL-enabled, or where BT confirms in writing that ADSL cannot be provided. Please check with BT if in doubt.
  Contact details: www.btopenworld.com/broadband
  Telephone 0800 389 2341 to speak to the BT business broadband team.
• Any State Aid received must not exceed £60K over a 3 year rolling period. Detailed records of aid paid must be kept for 10 years.
• The installation must be completed within 4 months of receiving your application approval. The participant must inform Wired Sussex of the installation date supplied by the Satellite Broadband Service Provider and the name of the provider. Failure to do so will mean loss of funding.
• The grant must be claimed by 29th February 2004. Failure to do so will mean loss of funding.
• The company must sign up for at least one year to the chosen Satellite Broadband Provider.
• The participant must be prepared to supply a short business case (as per application form) and take part in the evaluation process.

Companies wishing to apply for a grant can obtain application forms from Wired Sussex by emailing satellitebroadband@wiredsussex.com or by calling 01273 666830.