As part of the gigabit funding program launched by the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV) at the beginning of April 2023 for the expansion of fibre optic networks, 636 funding applications with a total funding volume of around 4.5 billion euros had already been submitted by 6 October. This means that the applications exceed the funding of around 3 billion euros provided by the federal government this year by around half. Further funding applications can be submitted until October 15. For so-called “fast lane” projects, this option is available until October 30.

The Bundesverband Breitbandkommunikation e.V. (BREKO) comments on this as follows:

“The fact that the total number of funding applications exceeds the available funds by 50 percent confirms our fears that the federal government’s gigabit funding program will not work in its current form.

Funding procedures should only be made possible in regions where internet coverage is particularly poor or where a sensible combination of self-funded and subsidized expansion leads to nationwide coverage. This prioritization is currently lacking.

In recent months, funding procedures have been launched in countless municipalities, even though there was no realistic prospect of funding from the outset, and even though many of these municipalities have good prospects for their own fiber optic expansion.

We expect the Federal Ministry of Digital and Transport to take this result as an opportunity to focus the funding program on the regions that really need it so as not to lose sight of the expansion goals of the gigabit strategy. This prioritization would also ensure that no more applications are submitted than funding is available.”