High-speed internet: Federal government aims to support rural areas
Because expansion is not profitable for companies everywhere, ten percent of households are at risk of being left without high-speed internet – the federal government now wants to help.
The year 2030 is the target: copper lines, which still carry a large proportion of internet connections, are to be gradually phased out. By then, alternative technologies should be sufficiently developed to replace copper technology. Because network expansion is not financially viable for private companies everywhere, around ten percent of all households in Switzerland are at risk of being excluded from high-speed internet. For this reason, the federal government now intends to provide financial support for the expansion and has adopted the dispatch on the Broadband Promotion Act.
Switzerland is lagging behind
High-speed internet is still not a matter of course, especially in rural, sparsely populated areas. Around 24 percent of all buildings with residential or commercial premises are not equipped with an internet speed of at least one gigabit per second, neither via fiber optics nor via modern cable networks. In 2024, the expansion rate was only 50 percent – the EU average at that time was 69 percent.
Who pays how much and when?
Now, around 730 million Swiss francs are to be invested – primarily in fiber optic expansion. Since this is expected to be very expensive in certain remote locations, the Federal Council can set maximum amounts per connection in accordance with the law. If this threshold is exceeded, the municipality is to bear the financial difference – or switch to more affordable wireless technologies there.
Source: https://www.uvek.admin.ch/
Expansion applications must be submitted by the respective municipalities. In principle, the following applies: providers must grant competitors access to the infrastructure. The Federal Council will determine the pricing for this in an ordinance at a later date. The funding is initially planned for eight years. If necessary, the Federal Council can extend this to a total of eleven years, provided that sufficient funds are still available.
The federal government will pay half of the money via a commitment credit. The cantons are to pay the other half. The latter may pass these costs on in whole or in part to the applicant municipalities. It is up to the cantons and municipalities themselves whether or not to take advantage of this funding.
In the next step, the National Council and the Council of States will deliberate on the draft law.
I've been tinkering with digital networks ever since I found out how to activate both telephone channels on the ISDN card for greater bandwidth. As for the analogue variety, I've been doing that since I learned to talk. Though Winterthur is my adoptive home city, my heart still bleeds red and blue.
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