We start with category 1: Innovative financing models and investments
UBit – Regional development of a broadband and IT infrastructure
The UBit Group has been on the road in the Swedish county of Västra Götaland since 2008. The members of the UBit group have attended hundreds of meetings in the countryside and have brought residents and municipalities together. This combination of awareness-raising, cooperation and expertise has led to the local broadband associations starting to apply for funding from the Swedish Rural Development Program. The investment sum in the access network is shared between the developer (which is usually a local fiber association owned by the public sector), the households themselves and the Rural Development Program. Around 66,000 households received funding from the program to install FTTH connections. This is an example of a bottom-up approach with a direct link to 
for citizens, where demand is guaranteed from the outset. Further information at www.vgregion.se/bredband
BürgerBreitbandNetzGesellschaft (BBNG): Broadband with financial participation of citizens
In the “BürgerBreitbandNetzGesellschaft” project
(BBNG), citizens from the entire North Friesland region are participating in the use of broadband technologies. Neither established nor other providers were previously prepared to build a network with high bandwidths. The BBNG therefore built its own regional FTTH network. Three municipalities are now connected and four more are currently in the roll-out phase. The project is privately financed. Any citizen can participate and invest as a shareholder – the process is transparent and open to individuals, authorities and companies. The open approach of the project is one of the key success factors of the BBNG project. Further information at www.buergerbreitbandnetz.de
Establishment of a broadband network in Wielkopolska/Poland
In 2009, the local parliament of the Wielkopolska region founded the company Wielkopolska Broadband Network Inc. The company designed, built and operates a fiber optic network that is open to all providers. The financing model was unusual: an example of public-private partnership and a successful mix of management of different financial sources. Private investors were invited and the company’s shares were offered in return for financial contributions. As a result, two private companies (INEA S.A. and ASTA-NET) became shareholders. The contribution of the private players and the EU funds from the ERDF were pooled and thus made it possible to build the network. Further information can be found at www.szerokopasmowawielkopolska.pl Further information on the European Broadband Awards can be found here http://www.aconium.eu/service/neuigkeiten/newseintrag/european-broadband-awards-2016/6af798a1847b02b8c760a125a1ef7700/ and here https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/european-broadband-award.