With the publication of the directive “Funding to support the gigabit expansion of telecommunications networks in the Federal Republic of Germany”, the so-called Gigabit Directive 2.0, the subsidized fiber optic expansion is getting a new boost. With the relaunch of the federal government’s Gigabit funding 2.0, applications for broadband funding can be submitted to the federal government again from April 3, 2023. There are some changes to the funding for this call. For example, municipalities with a high proportion of particularly underserved areas will receive preferential funding, the projects will be evaluated using a new list of criteria and, in addition to making the market exploration procedure more flexible, the so-called municipal sector dialog has been introduced. To make it easier to gain an overview, aconium GmbH has published numerous new documents and information materials on the website and in the closed area of the online platform.
An initial overview of the entire funding process and the individual procedural steps can be found in the project phase model as well as the quick guide “Federal Gigabit Funding” brochure.
Gigabit funding 2.0 is based on the revised guideline “Funding to support the gigabit expansion of telecommunications networks in the Federal Republic of Germany” (Federal Gigabit Directive 2.0 of 31.03.2023).
The corresponding calls for applications are also published in the download area of the aconium GmbH website. The call for funding for consulting services from March 2, 2023 and the two calls for infrastructure funding from April 3, 2023 can also be found in the download area. These are the call for regular applications and the “fast lane” call for local authorities with a particular need to catch up. This call for funding is aimed at local authorities that have a particular backlog in the expansion of gigabit-capable telecommunications networks and are therefore eligible for funding as a priority (fast lane). For applications under this call for proposals, details on the identification and selection of areas eligible for funding as a priority are listed under “5. Key approval requirements”. The four criteria of pent-up demand, use of synergies, digital participation in rural areas and inter-municipal, cross-municipal cooperation are listed there and then explained in detail in the list of criteria. The specific evaluation of applications according to points is also listed in the annex list of criteria which is also published here. The GIS supplementary provisions 5.1 of 03.04.2023 apply to applications in accordance with the federal government’s Gigabit Directive 2.0.
In order to explain the federal funding program Gigabit 2.0 in an understandable and transparent way and to support applicants and funding recipients in the funding process, the project management agencies and the BMDV have published an updated guidelines created. This is based on the procedure for applicants and subsequent funding recipients.
An important component of an expansion project is the market exploration procedure (MEV). This serves to ensure whether private-sector telecommunications expansion is possible and planned in the expansion area, as this always has priority over subsidized projects. A market exploration is a basic prerequisite for an initial application under the federal funding program; the determination of a market failure is a mandatory prerequisite for funding under EU state aid law. The market exploration procedure determines whether a private sector expansion of a gigabit network is likely to take place within the next three years. The Information sheet on the market exploration procedure provides more detailed explanations of the procedure. The MEV also includes the declaration of commitment MEV with reservation for pre-marketing and the declaration of commitment without reservation for pre-marketing for the MEV, which are available for download as templates.
If you require more detailed information, we would like to refer you to the extensive workshop offer on federal Gigabit funding, which is available to you as representatives of local authorities free of charge.