On September 9, 2018, the Lower Bavarian municipality of Markt Hengersberg received its funding decision in the amount of 3.95 million euros for the expansion of broadband internet. Andreas Scheuer, Federal Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, and Annette Schumacher, member of the management board of the project sponsor aconium, handed over the final amount of the notification to the Mayor of Hengersberg, Christian Meyer.
The federal funds will be used to lay 267 kilometers of fiber optic cable and 123 kilometers of empty conduits in the rural region southeast of Deggendorf. Once the construction work is complete, 954 households and 50 companies will benefit from high-speed Internet. The Free State of Bavaria is contributing 880,000 euros. Meyer emphasized the good cooperation with the project sponsor aconium. He added that all hurdles had been successfully overcome and the ninth of 2,000 municipalities in Bavaria to be included in the federal funding program. The upgrade of the funding program has been in place since 1 August 2018: districts and municipalities will be able to expand their digital infrastructure with fibre optics more quickly and efficiently in future.
The federal government has reacted and, following the development of the funding guidelines, has decided to launch a new funding program and streamline the funding guidelines in such a way that half a year’s work has been saved. Now we need to ensure that the leap into the gigabit age is also completed in rural areas, said Scheuer. Annette Schumacher: “As the project sponsor of the broadband expansion funding program, aconium GmbH had approved almost four billion euros for over 700 expansion projects by municipalities and districts by the summer of 2018. These are now gradually entering the construction phase and can be launched in two to three years. That was a tour de force. Despite the amount of bureaucratic requirements, we have brought the municipalities and districts safely to their destination. We now need to pick up the pace with the broadband projects.”
Cover photo: Andreas Scheuer (Federal Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, center, behind the cable drum), Mayor Christian Meyer (Markt Hengersberg, foreground, 2nd from right,) Dr. Annette Schumacher (Member of the Management Board of aconium, 4th from left) with other participants at the handover of the final funding decision. Markt Hengersberg, September 9, 2018.
Photo below: Andreas Scheuer (Federal Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, l.) hands over the final funding notification from the federal broadband funding program to Mayor Christian Meyer (Markt Hengersberg, r.). Markt Hengersberg, September 9, 2018.
Photo credits: aconium GmbH