The federal funding program is in high demand. Due to the high demand in 2022, the first call for funding in the so-called Grey Spots program was initially ended on 17 October. However, funding will be continued at the beginning of 2023 with a new budget. The new applications must then comply with the new funding guidelines, which are currently being developed in consultation with all stakeholders. aconium GmbH will continue to act as a reliable partner alongside the Federal Ministry of Digital and Transport in this area as the sovereign project management agency for the new gigabit funding and will be working intensively on applications from the federal states of Bremen, Hamburg, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland and Schleswig-Holstein.
This year’s funding volume for new approvals has been fully utilized. The Ministry of Digital and Transport sees this as a success and the figures confirm this. So far, the total funding volume in the federal broadband (white-spot program) and gigabit (grey-spot program) funding programs amounted to €12.8 billion from 2015 to the end of 2022, including around €3.1 billion in 2022. This is the largest financial volume that has ever been used for this purpose.
The short notice, also for the funding recipients, can also be explained by the high dynamics of the applications. In October, for example, applications for funding amounting to over 450 million euros were submitted within just one week, an unprecedented event. Consequently, the first call for funding in the Grey Spots program was closed for the time being. However, all funding applications submitted by October 17 will be processed and, provided they meet the funding requirements, will receive a decision by the beginning of 2023 at the latest. This is an important signal to the municipalities concerned.
Looking ahead – new funding program coming in 2023
And government funding will of course also continue. New funds will be made available for this in the 2023 budget. The funding volume in 2023 is to be maintained at the 2022 level. The new funding will be provided without the current funding threshold and therefore within the framework of the gigabit framework approved by the EU Commission. The Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport has agreed with the federal states in the gigabit strategy that if the wave of applications is too large, it will be necessary to manage these applications sensibly and prioritize areas where there is the greatest need for funding. This will be part of the new funding program from 2023.