Bonn, 11.03.2024 – Today, for the first time, the Federal Network Agency obliged a telecommunications provider to provide coverage on the basis of the TK-Mindestversorgungsverordnung (TKMV). Sven Knapp, Head of the Capital Office of the German Broadband Association (BREKO), comments:

“The right to a minimum supply of telecommunications services is the last resort and should only be applied if there is no other way of providing a basic internet service. This is because this route is significantly more expensive than development via the federal government’s gigabit funding – and even more so in comparison to self-sufficient fiber optic expansion.

In addition, the forced supply of individual households threatens to slow down the fiber optic expansion as a whole because scarce construction and planning resources have to be diverted from other expansion projects.

The Federal Government and the Federal Network Agency should therefore take the following into account in future:

Gigabit funding must finally be focused on the areas that really need it so that comprehensive fiber optic networks can be built there as soon as possible instead of obliging companies to develop individual households.
The right to minimum coverage should only apply where fiber optic expansion is not possible even with state funding.
Basic Internet coverage should be provided in particular via mobile and satellite connections, as these solutions meet the performance requirements and can be implemented very quickly. If these connections are not affordable, they would have to be subsidized via a levy system if necessary.
There is currently no reason to increase the minimum requirements for Internet access. This is confirmed by a recent report by WIK-Consult & zafaco on behalf of the Federal Network Agency. It comes to the conclusion that the current minimum requirements also meet the needs of multi-person households.”