Broadband Connection Voucher Scheme

This document describes an evaluation of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's Super Connected Cities Programme's Broadband Connection Voucher Scheme, which aimed to enhance economic growth by subsidizing the cost of improved broadband connections for small businesses. The evaluation used an impact study approach, revealing that over 54,000 small firms received grants, with 42,500 firms upgrading their internet connections to services that were, on average, 18 times faster. The results indicated that the UK gained at least £8 for every £1 spent on the scheme, with businesses reporting increased efficiency, profitability, and employment. The scheme also fostered competition and consumer choice by supporting hundreds of suppliers, particularly smaller ones, and group schemes were successful in improving connectivity in areas with poor service. The main conclusion is that the Broadband Connection Voucher Scheme significantly benefited participating businesses and the broader UK economy. **This summary was written by an AI model and therefore should not be considered a definitive summary of the report. If you are aware of inaccuracies, please email evaluation.registry@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.**

Description

Lead department
Closed organisation: Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport
Evaluation stage
A complete evaluation report
Other departments
No other departments listed
Evaluation types
Impact evaluation
Impact methods
Generic research method
Grant information
This intervention is not distributing funding via a grant
Government Major Project information
This intervention is not a major project
Policies
No policies provided

Event Dates

Event Name
Publication of final results
Event date
August 2017

Evaluation Costs

Cost
Not provided

Evaluation sharing

Link(s) to published report(s)
Yes
Links to evaluation plans
No link provided
Links to published evaluations (DEBUGGING)
No final report link found.
Findings
Not provided
Permission to share confirmed
Yes