Jena/Berlin, 20.11.2023 – On the occasion of the 16th Digital Summit of the Federal Government on November 20 and 21, 2023 in Jena, which will be held under the motto “Digital Transformation in the Turning Point. Sustainable. Resilient. Future-oriented.”, the Bundesverband Breitbandkommunikation e.V. (BREKO) is calling on the German government to implement measures for a fast and sustainable fiber optic expansion:

“Comprehensive fiber optic networks form the future-proof basis for the digital transformation of the economy and society. Only through the comprehensive use of digital technologies can Germany successfully master the energy transition and thus meet its climate protection obligations.

Telecommunications companies are aware of this great responsibility and want to roll out the fiber optic infrastructure across the board as quickly as possible. To ensure that the expansion of fiber optics continues to make rapid progress, we appeal to the federal government to provide stable and investment-friendly framework conditions.

Fast and digital approval procedures are particularly important for this. To this end, the federal and state governments have set important priorities in the joint “Pact for Accelerating Planning, Approval and Implementation”, which must be taken up in the ongoing legislative process for the Telecommunications Network Expansion Acceleration Act.

In addition, the German government should now take effective measures against the strategic and resource-wasting double expansion of fiber optic networks by the market-dominant company Deutsche Telekom. BREKO has already submitted a concrete and quickly implementable proposal to the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport.

We look forward to an open exchange at the Digital Summit in Jena and beyond in order to jointly drive forward the expansion of fiber optics as quickly as possible.”