Støtteordning for bredbånd

Nasjonal kommunikasjonsmyndighet (Nkom) publishes information about public support for broadband buildout on its page "Offentlig støtte til bredbåndsutbygging" (Public support for broadband buildout). The support is provided as a grant (tilskudd) for broadband infrastructure in areas where commercial buildout is not commercially viable.

Nkom's page states that the counties hold the administrative responsibility for the funds, while Nkom plays an advisory role:

"Fylkeskommunene har forvaltningsansvaret for offentlig støtte til bredbånds-utbygging bevilget over statsbudsjettet."

("County authorities have the administrative responsibility for public support for broadband buildout allocated over the state budget.")

"Nkom har en faglig veilederrolle for fylkeskommunenes bruk av midlene."

("Nkom has a professional advisory role for the counties' use of the funds.")

On how to apply, the page directs municipalities to their county rather than to a central Nkom portal:

"Kommuner som ønsker informasjon og hjelp til å søke om bredbåndstilskudd, kan kontakte sin fylkeskommune."

("Municipalities that want information and help to apply for broadband grants can contact their county.")

Because applications are handled by each fylkeskommune, the page does not publish a single applicant application deadline (søknadsfrist) or a single central application portal. Instead it lists a designated contact person for each county. The page also prints contract and project-completion deadlines tied to annual allocations (for the 2026 funds, contracts must be signed by 1 April 2027 and projects completed by 1 October 2028, to avoid repayment), but these are administrative milestones, not an applicant application deadline.

For the 2026 allocation, the page states a total national allocation of 159,110,000 NOK, distributed across the counties (county figures include, among others, Nordland 25,924,901 NOK, Innlandet 17,972,363 NOK, Trøndelag 17,662,997 NOK and Oslo 484,953 NOK).

The page records that public support is, in principle, restricted under the EEA framework:

"Offentlig støtte er i utgangspunktet ulovlig i henhold til EØS-avtalen."

("Public support is, in principle, illegal under the EEA Agreement.")

Nkom lists its own contact for the scheme as seniorrådgiver Anders Snøløs Topland (e-mail ato@nkom.no). The page links operational material such as the oppdragsbrev (assignment letter) for the 2026 state budget, contract-text proposals, a wholesale-access price guide, a final-report template and address-list templates, and points to Nkom's coverage map at dekningskart.nkom.no. At the time of capture the page carried the notice "DISSE SIDENE ER UNDER GJENNOMGANG" ("these pages are under review").