Berlin, March 23, 2022 Today, the Federal Network Agency presented the draft statutory order on the minimum requirements for the right to be provided with telecommunications services (RaVT). In addition to the previously announced parameters for the requirements for internet access services (download and upload bandwidth, latency), it contains an exception rule that allows the Federal Network Agency to set lower bandwidths and higher latencies in exceptional cases if this is justified in particular by the expected costs of expansion and geographical factors.

The German Broadband Association (BREKO) comments on this:

“Thanks to the exemption contained in the current draft, BREKO believes that the Federal Network Agency’s draft presented today for the organization of the right to provide telecommunications services is a step in the right direction. We welcome the fact that the Federal Network Agency has recognized that the currently defined requirements for Internet access services would lead to delays in the provision of services on the one hand and additionally in the further expansion of fibre optics.

The minimum latency requirement should therefore be raised across the board to a maximum value of 350ms in the further parliamentary decision-making process in the Bundestag and Bundesrat in order to include wireless technologies such as satellite, mobile and radio relay in the implementation of the RaVT from the outset and to avoid individual case reviews. In this way, it is possible to establish digital participation for all citizens quickly, easily and without negative effects on the expansion of fiber optics.

Otherwise, there is a risk that the goal recently outlined by the ministry as part of the presentation of the key points of the gigabit strategy to achieve the nationwide expansion of fiber optics to buildings by 2030 cannot be achieved.”