Fibrestream boss calls for use of broadband vouchers

Fibre optic broadband provider Fibrestream has again called for the government to utilise a voucher system to encourage the rollout of next-generation networks.

Guy Jarvis, boss of the company, said "Big Society broadband vouchers" offer a cheap and simple solution to funding deployments, with the work paid for once results have been delivered.

He claimed adopting this system will help to "empower communities currently worst off for broadband to skip to the forefront instead, thereby providing maximum market stimulus at [the] least cost to the taxpayer".

Fibrestream has been a vocal proponent of the voucher system, which builds on funding models used in France and Wales.

Last December, Mr Jarvis explained that the strategy works by subsidising the installation cost of equipment needed to bring fibre broadband to a community.

For instance, if a customer has to pay £150 to connect their property to a fibre-to-the-home network, then a £100 voucher could help to accelerate the project.