On October 10, 2017, around 90 participants came together at the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) in Berlin to find out about the next steps in the process following the approval of the provisional funding amount for their broadband expansion projects.
Rainer Bomba, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, opened the day with a presentation on the importance of broadband expansion in today’s digital age. Given the current demand for gigabit, the federal government and industry are in demand; the federal government is investing where it is not profitable for industry. The long-term goal is to reach the gigabit society by the end of 2025; 50 Mbit/s by the end of 2018 should only be seen as an interim goal.
Topics discussed at the information day included the conditions and special features of the funding decision, how to use the central online platform and the possibility of including schools in the funding project since July. In addition, the new handout available to grant recipients was presented, which provides guidance when selecting an operator. In a Q&A session, grant recipients had the opportunity to receive answers to questions regarding the funding process.
In particular, the area of in-house expansion and late registrations by telecommunications companies was discussed. For example, late registrations made after the market exploration procedure has been completed do not necessarily have to be taken into account if an application for federal funding has already been submitted. In the case of project-specific questions, the funding recipients are requested to seek bilateral discussions with the project sponsor.
Photo: Rainer Bomba (State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure) during his presentation on 10.10.2017.
Photo credit: Lea Mank / aconium GmbH.