The government prefers 300 million euros of the second billion broadband and will therefore invest a total of 900 million euros this year in better internet access. The reason for this is the high demand for the first funding call in March, Finance Minister Magnus Brunner and State Secretary for Digitization Florian Tursky (both ÖVP) explained at a press conference on Monday morning. With the increased funding, 570 municipalities would receive a broadband connection this year.
The 1.4 billion euros of the second broadband billion will be allocated through various financing programmes. The advance that has now been announced concerns the “Open-Net” programme, which will be increased from EUR 450 to EUR 750 million. In October, another 150 million euros will be invested through the “Access” program. All in all, this should lead to investments of two billion euros.
Expanded broadband by 2030
The funds for broadband expansion will come from the EU Resilience Fund, the revenues from frequency allocations and from the economic stimulus package, explains Brunner. The goal is to provide nationwide broadband in Austria by 2030 – so far this has been the case for two in three households. “If we want to stay competitive, we need to invest more in digital infrastructure,” says Brunner. “It’s often difficult and unprofitable, especially in rural areas, which is why there are broadband subsidies.”
According to State Secretary Tursky, Austria is in very good shape when it comes to the offer of 5G mobile internet, which means that many households considered the connection to the fiber network less important. “During the pandemic, however, we saw this reaching its limits,” Tursky says. In addition, there is the development that worldwide data transfer is doubling every two years. Therefore, it is now necessary to take precautions.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
