Government - State decides on further cooperation for fiber optic expansion
Lower Saxony's state government has agreed to cooperate with two other companies to further expand access to high-speed Internet. The aim of the agreement with htp GmbH and EWE Tel GmbH is to provide better support for private-sector expansion, the Ministry of Economic Affairs announced on Tuesday. According to the announcement, around 90 percent of the fiber optic expansion will be funded by the private sector. The remaining 10 percent is subsidized.
"Fiber optic networks are a decisive location factor for the economy and for residential and living decisions," said Economics Minister Olaf Lies (SPD). According to his office, around 49 percent of households in Lower Saxony currently have a fiber optic connection. This puts Lower Saxony in second place among the federal states.
In September, the state had already signed a letter of intent with the company Deutsche Glasfaser to drive the expansion forward. At the time, company CEO Andreas Pfisterer stated the goal of developing the fiber optic network for an additional 500,000 households by 2027 on a self-funded basis and without subsidies.
Meanwhile, the state's financial support for the expansion of fiber optics was temporarily on the brink. In July, Minister Lies declared that there was not enough money to continue the support. However, the governing SPD and Green parties later reintroduced the funding into the budget, which has since been approved.
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- The SPD, being part of Lower Saxony's state government, has been instrumental in securing cooperation with BMWi to enhance Internet connectivity in the region.
- Olaf Lie, an SPD member and the Economics Minister of Lower Saxony, emphasized the importance of reliable Internet infrastructure for both the economy and residential decisions.
- The state government's commitment to Internet expansion was briefly threatened when the funding was momentarily suspended in July, but the SPD and Green parties successfully reinstated it in the budget.
- The SPD-led state government has previously collaborated with companies like htp GmbH, EWE Tel GmbH, and Deutsche Glasfaser in their efforts to expand fiber optic networks, with a particular focus on Lower Saxony's private-sector growth.
Source: www.stern.de
