Openreach Community Fibre - Voucher Question

Hello

I ran a successful Openreach Community Fibre in my local village. All the houses have now had Fibre brought to the doors. However I have just had an update from Openreach and they are saying it won't go live until January 2022.

Since then another alternative fibre company have come in and expect to be live in 3 weeks time.

What is the situation with vouchers, if I was to sign up for this other company and then in 12 months sign up with someone who uses Openreach, would Openreach still get the voucher? I remember reading that once the Fibre is live you have 24 months to claim the voucher, but its not clear if it only applies if its your first fibre connection?

You might want to check with the DCMS - if the AltNet is up and running and offering connections, then as I read it, technically you would have access to a > 100 Mbps broadband connection (see T&Cs on latest GBVS scheme rules), and would therefore be ineligible for voucher funding for the delayed Openreach network.

But wouldn't Openreach have applied/secured the vouchers at the time of signing of the CFP contract? Wasn't their a rush to claim vouchers for new CFP's just before the GBVS changed earlier in the year.

Don't know under which version of the scheme rules the OP signed up as part of the CFP. Current scheme rules state:

"Your new connection must be installed within 12 months of the issue of a UK Gigabit Voucher. If your supplier is not able to deliver your new connection by this date then the voucher will expire and the grant will be no longer be available. We accept no liability for the costs of connections which are not delivered within 12 months of the offer of a UK Gigabit Voucher."

In reply to a post by Pheasant:

Don't know under which version of the scheme rules the OP signed up as part of the CFP. Current scheme rules state:

"Your new connection must be installed within 12 months of the issue of a UK Gigabit Voucher. If your supplier is not able to deliver your new connection by this date then the voucher will expire and the grant will be no longer be available. We accept no liability for the costs of connections which are not delivered within 12 months of the offer of a UK Gigabit Voucher."

I have a copy of GBVS 1.0 issued on 14/11/2017 and it says

Your new connection must be installed within 12 months of the offer of a voucher. If your supplier is not able to deliver your new connection by this date – then the voucher will expire and the grant will be no longer be available. We accept no liability for the costs of connections which are not delivered within 12 months of the offer of a voucher.

Interesting one refers to the offer of a voucher and the other refers to the issuing of a voucher.

Edited by deleted (Tue 07-Sep-21 17:22:34)

We don't know the timescales from the OP either. Could be well within the 12 months, and I take your earlier point that OR would have applied for the vouchers at the time of the sign off on the CFP (one would presume).

It's not a situation I found myself in when I did my voucher application s part of FOD some years ago, however scenarios such as this must becoming increasingly familiar as there are literally dozens and dozens of AltNets building networks all around the country, and may by design or coincidence, over-build such a funded Openreach project quicker than OR can complete theirs.

It does also raise the point if an AltNet can complete a commercial rollout in 3 weeks and OR have delayed completing their (publicly funded) rollout by around 4 months....

i would be checking with your contact in openreach .about when its going to be delviered - you need to think carefully as openreach will have used those vouchers to part fund the build and openreach get paid when then those vocuhers are claimed - if people decide not to clam the voucher there will be a shortfall - on the openreach build costs - depending on how the agreement was set up , you or your communty could be potentially responsible for the shortfall -- sugges you read the contract your communty signed with openreach

In reply to a post by Pheasant:

It does also raise the point if an AltNet can complete a commercial rollout in 3 weeks

I'd very much doubt the whole thing was done in 3 weeks, including planning and design.

Perhaps I should have have worded it better, and said 'finalise the completion'....

In any event it sounds as if they started their rollout after OR and will be done (if they are true to their word) some three months before OR.

I would suggest that its OR's problem that they have not provided the agreed connection within 12 months not the voucher applicant.