Bonn/Berlin 12.02.2021

BREKO criticizes the fact that the Federal Council today rejected Schleswig-Holstein’s motion to modernize the apportionability of the broadband connection. “Making buildings fit for the future also means equipping them with fiber optic connections. With a forward-looking design, the levy option can become a driver for fiber optic expansion in apartment buildings in the interests of tenants and homeowners. The fact that the Bundesrat today rejected the proposal of the state of Schleswig-Holstein is a bad signal for the further expansion of fiber optics,” explains BREKO Managing Director Dr. Stephan Albers.

In order to give fiber optic expansion a real boost, it is now important to make the right adjustments in the Bundestag. BREKO CEO Albers explains the details: “The possibility of being able to benefit from the levy in future must be limited to the new construction of fiber optic networks from the property boundary to the building or home. It must also not be possible to agree the levy indefinitely, but only for a maximum period of seven years, which takes sufficient account of the value of the investment in the new fiber optic infrastructure. In order to create incentives for the greatest possible diversity of offerings, open access to the network must be granted, allowing other providers access to the network and thus to customers. There may only be grandfathering for a maximum of seven years for fiber optic connections that were installed after 20.12.2018 and only if they enable open network access for other providers. And last but not least: there must be no grandfathering for other networks that were built and put into operation in the past, as this would once again make a mockery of the goal of accelerating the expansion of fiber optics.”

BREKO sees it as positive that the Federal Council has emphasized the clear priority of self-funded fiber optic expansion over state intervention such as universal service. “The Chamber of States has made it clear that universal service, as also stipulated by the EU legislator, is only the very last resort to ensure minimum coverage if neither an expansion financed by the companies themselves nor a supplementary subsidized expansion is possible. Radio-based solutions, such as satellite communication, should also be considered when creating minimum coverage in areas that are particularly difficult to develop,” explains BREKO Managing Director Dr. Stephan Albers.

BREKO is critical of the fact that the Federal Council has spoken out against the establishment of a coordinating body to speed up the approval process. “In order to make the approval procedures for fiber optic expansion even faster, all parties involved must pull together. A central point of contact at district and city level can help here. If the federal government writes into law an obligation for the federal states to set up coordinating bodies, it should also make a reasonable contribution to the costs incurred. We are convinced that the federal states would then also support the good proposal in the law,” emphasizes BREKO Managing Director Albers.