A pure fiber optic connection was still a niche product just a few years ago. But Germany is now picking up speed on the subject. However, this requires federal funds for the southwest. And there are doubts about them after a funding freeze for 2023.
Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) – After the federal government stopped funding fiber optic expansion early this year, Interior Minister Thomas Strobl is also questioning the corresponding commitments by the traffic light coalition for 2023. The federal government broke its promise and stopped funding. “That’s why my trust in the mere promises that it will be resumed in 2023 is one where I would like to say that something is scratched,” said Strobl on Wednesday in the Stuttgart state parliament. The cities and municipalities were completely surprised by the funding stop “totally contrary to all announcements”.
A high three-digit million amount is in question for the country. According to a study, there are around 500,000 open address points in the country where it is not worth expanding independently. “Baden-Württemberg is not the Lüneburg Heath,” said Strobl. “Fibre optic cable is very easy to lay everywhere there. Baden-Württemberg, on the other hand, is characterized by the beauty of the Black Forest and the Swabian Jura.” Fiber optic cables have to be laid in the rock and chiseled into granite. “It’s not worth it for a private company at the end of the day, and that’s why we need publicly funded expansion in the future,” said the minister.
Digital Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) stopped the funding program for the current year early on October 17 because the available funding had been exhausted. This had led to protests from individual federal states. According to Strobl on Wednesday, the federal government has now promised to process and decide on applications received by October 17 by the end of January at the latest. After that, they could be pre-financed by the state, said Strobl.
The FDP disagrees with Strobl’s account. “Strobl is concealing the fact that the federal government will provide around three billion euros for broadband expansion this year and next year, twice as much as ever before,” said FDP digital expert Daniel Karrais. Baden-Württemberg is also in a much worse position compared to Bavaria, which is topographically comparable. “In terms of fibre-optic connections, Baden-Württemberg is in last place among all the non-city states with 12 percent of buildings, while Bavaria has connected 18 percent of buildings to the network.” Strobl failed to create good framework conditions.
The aim of the gigabit program is a nationwide high-speed network for all households, companies, schools and hospitals in Germany. According to the federal government, billions in funding are to be resumed next year, but the grants will be geared even more closely to the actual needs in the regions.
