Millions in funding for broadband internet in rural areas

On Friday, the federal government opened the consultation on a new federal law on the subject. After the Federal Council meeting, Communications Minister Albert Rösti provided information about the project at a media conference in Bern.

According to a statement from the Federal Council, the money is to be used in areas where the expansion of fiber optic networks or radio infrastructures would otherwise not be worthwhile for telecommunications providers. Specifically, the expansion of fixed network connections with transmission rates of at least 1 gigabit per second for downloads is to be funded.

The draft makes the distribution of federal funds dependent on a financial commitment from the cantons. Specifically, the Confederation and the canton concerned should each bear half of the funding costs for each project. The Federal Council would like to finance the federal share from the future concession fees of telecommunications companies.