Today, Rainer Bomba, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI), presented the town of Maintal (Main-Kinzig district) with a funding decision for funds from the billion-euro federal funding program for broadband expansion.
Local authorities and districts in structurally weak areas will receive up to 50,000 euros for consultancy services. The money can be used to finance planning services for preparations for the gigabit networks. In a second step, the BMVI will make up to 15 million euros available for each individual infrastructure project.
Rainer Bomba, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure:
“Access to modern broadband connections is a key location factor – the expansion of gigabit networks is the basis for innovation and the economic development of entire regions.”
The Main-Kinzig district has almost reached its broadband expansion target: a total of 142 km of new fiber optic cable is being laid here thanks to federal funding. The majority of towns and municipalities, including smaller districts, are now connected to the network and thus to high-speed data transmission. This gives the district a decisive economic advantage in providing comprehensive coverage to companies and private households. Overall, more than 80 percent of the connections in the project area will already be able to be supplied with at least 100 Mbit/s after the expansion.
The federal funding program provides technology-neutral funding for grid expansion. The funding rate is 50 to 70 percent of the eligible costs. As the federal program can be combined with state and EU funding programs, the funding rate can be increased to up to 90 percent. A total of around 4 billion euros is available for broadband funding from federal funds.
Tim Brauckmüller, Managing Director of aconium GmbH:
“Germany will continue to lead the way in digitalization in the future. Rural areas in particular are vitally dependent on this strategic connection to the future.”