With over 220,000 inhabitants spread across 23 municipalities, the district of Fulda is the easternmost region of the Rhine-Main area. Large parts of the district are located in the UNESCO Rhön Biosphere Reserve. This is a region in which the coexistence of man and nature is brought into the best possible harmony.
The four objectives of the Rhön Biosphere Reserve are derived from this relationship: “Protection of natural and cultural diversity”, “Sustainable development”, “Education and communication” and “Research and monitoring”. The ground-breaking ceremony on March 10, 2017 marked the start of achieving these goals. In the Rhön biosphere reserve, installation techniques are used that minimize interference with nature and the landscape and have as little impact as possible on sensitive biodiversity. The flush drilling method and the use of existing, decommissioned pipe network infrastructures such as old drinking water or wastewater pipes are the most important methods here.
Broadband expansion in the region is being carried out as part of the economic viability gap model. The project, which is nearing completion, is being supported by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure with around 9.9 million euros through the federal funding program for broadband expansion. In addition to over 10,500 households and over a thousand companies, administrations, hospitals and a total of 16 schools will also benefit from the expansion of the infrastructure in the district of Fulda.
One of them is the elementary school in Weyhers. Pupils and teachers there now have access to fast, future-proof Internet connections. This enables new forms of learning that prepare students for the digital working world. Thanks to the high-performance FTTH access, data-intensive teaching materials such as audio and video files or animated graphics can also be used in lessons, taking digital teaching to a much higher level. Bernd Woide, District Administrator of the district of Fulda, was very satisfied with the results of the broadband expansion and emphasized its positive consequences, particularly for the infrastructure at schools:
“In the age of high-speed Internet, this makes modern e-learning possible in schools and enables the efficient and sustainable organization of school work and learning processes. The aim of our commitment is to introduce all schoolchildren to digital media and allow them to work with it in the classroom in order to open up the opportunities and perspectives of new technologies for them.”
Photos: Heavy equipment for excavations (above) and the construction site in front of the elementary school in Weyhers in the district of Fulda (below). Photo credit: aconium GmbH/Andreas Silberbach.