We have some good news!

Since we submitted our application to the Department of Social Media and Sport (DCMS) in February 2021, we began the process of approving our Chelford project for the government's gigabit voucher scheme. A great amount of work was carried out over the following eight months as careful planning and due diligence were done by both Vispa and DCMS.

In December 2021, our project was finally approved, and work commenced to raise awareness amongst the community. We also engaged with both the local Parish Council and Cheshire East council (working as a wider Connecting Cheshire partnership).

Let's skip to the good news…

As we have ramped up our local campaign and our engineers have been out and about in the community, we’ve seen a marked increase in voucher takeup, so much so that we are confident that within a matter of weeks, we will reach the level of vouchers required to begin the work. Please encourage your neighbours and friends in the community to also register for a voucher. The sooner we hit the target, the sooner we start connecting homes.

With that in mind, our team has been out surveying each street, finding a suitable green cabinet location, and arranging the necessary teams to plan and install the cabinet. We're pretty much ready to begin within 3-4 weeks, if not sooner. All going well, the first homes will be connected in May or June.

There are a number of common questions we are asked by the communities we supply. We’ve pulled together a list of these, which you will find below.

One question that appears prominent in the Chelford community is around the ability to switch providers at the end of your contract term. We can confirm that from April 2023, the new ‘One Touch Switch’ rules implemented by Ofcom will take effect, meaning that you can switch to another provider if you wish, utilising the same infrastructure we have installed. More details on how the process works are in the FAQ below. There’s also some useful information on how the gigabit scheme and joint government/provider funding is in place and how it's used responsibly.

You can’t beat local talent!

As always with our local projects, where possible, we always like to see some of the public allocated funds go back into the local community. We have some 590+ homes to pass, which requires over 25km of cable laying and connecting. We’re always on the lookout for local contractors, craftsmen and community heroes who can help get everyone connected. If you’re interested in working with us (for example, as a home installation engineer or contractor to help with digging cables in), please drop us a line - hello@vispa.net 

Meet and greet event

We’re in the process of organising a pop in (or outdoor) meet and greet event, covid permitting. We’re a locally-based firm and would love the opportunity to have a chat with the community and answer any questions that you may have. Even the more challenging ones! Once we have confirmed arrangements, we will let everyone know.