Despite COVID-19: major commitment from cities and municipalities to gigabit expansion – aconium switches to online video conferencing The novel coronavirus is spreading rapidly around the world. Europe and Germany are also severely affected. As a leading service provider in the field of digitalization and, in particular, as a project sponsor for the federal broadband funding programme on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI), aconium GmbH cannot, of course, ignore this current development. Nevertheless, workshops for applicants in the federal broadband funding program took place this week as planned in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Baden-Württemberg – via video conference! The participating municipal representatives from various applicant municipalities in the federal funding program joined in from their home offices. From Schwerin, aconium consultant Udo Kirsch answered questions about co-laying, construction approval processes and measures for the execution and monitoring of roadworks for broadband expansion, among other things. The aconium regional office in Baden-Württemberg also held its first online workshop together with the state’s Ministry of the Interior, Digitization and Migration with great success. The workshop provided comprehensive know-how on the concrete planning steps for broadband expansion on site. Another online workshop for applicants in the federal broadband funding program was also held on 31 March. The “Open Access” workshop clearly illustrated the importance of free access to infrastructure for the free market and the benefits that all stakeholders can derive from it. The aconium team from the Baden-Württemberg regional office in Stuttgart was once again delighted with the lively participation and attendance at this workshop. Afterwards, the participants gave a consistently positive response and were pleased that the event was not canceled due to the current situation, but could be realized as usual with a high level of technical expertise. aconium Managing Director Tim Brauckmüller emphasizes: “Especially in the current times, the importance of a resilient fiber optic infrastructure is becoming increasingly clear. That is why, even in these times of crisis and despite canceled events, broadband expansion in Germany must be driven forward with even greater commitment and municipal representatives must be equipped with the relevant information to prepare their communities for the digital future.” Due to the high demand, aconium has once again significantly expanded its range of services and is offering a comprehensive range of workshops – currently via video conference – to accompany the federal broadband funding. Under this link you will find all dates and the possibility to register: https://https://aconium.eu/?p=71727&lang=en.eu/kompetenzen/foerdermittelberatung/projekttraeger-breitband/workshops/