Brussels/Bonn, 21.02.2024 Dr. Stephan Albers, Managing Director of the German Broadband Association (BREKO), comments as follows on the EU Commission’s White Paper on a “Digital Networks Act” (DNA) presented today:

“The EU Commission wants to support the nationwide expansion of fiber optics and mobile communications in Europe by strengthening the telecommunications industry. That’s a good thing. Removing bureaucratic hurdles, improving the framework conditions for private investment in network expansion: The central ideas in the White Paper are a step in the right direction. It is now crucial that the next EU Commission implements the issues raised in such a way that fair competition is strengthened and additional incentives for rapid fiber optic expansion are created, for example by including telecommunications networks in the EU taxonomy. Fair competition is not created by announcements, but by decisive action.

BREKO welcomes the fact that the EU Commission attaches great importance to the topic of “copper-fiber migration”. Switching off copper networks as quickly as possible is both an important incentive for rapid fiber optic expansion and is also necessary for reasons of sustainability and efficiency. The EU Commission has recognized what is important here and is sending a clear signal to the member states: The national regulatory authorities must prevent the market-dominant operators of copper networks from strategically using their shutdown to hinder and squeeze out competitors. In concrete terms, this means that the copper network must be switched off regardless of which company has expanded the fiber optic network in the respective area. There must be no strategic games by market-dominating companies.

The fact that the EU Commission has identified the strategic dual expansion of fiber optic networks as a key obstacle to investment should finally motivate German decision-makers to take appropriate countermeasures.

However, Brussels overlooks fundamental differences between individual member states in some aspects: The fragmentation of the German fixed network market is certainly not a cause of a lack of investment. The opposite is the case: Telekom’s competitors really got the fiber optic roll-out rolling in Germany with their investments. Such national characteristics are part of the EU’s identity and must be taken into account instead of being ignored in favor of a uniform legal and regulatory framework.”