As expected, the Cabinet initiated the amendment to the Telecommunications Act (TKG) on Wednesday morning. According to the Federal Ministries for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWI) and for Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) in Berlin, the plan, which is heavily controversial in individual points, is intended to create “a tailor-made and future-oriented legal framework for the German telecommunications market and end customers”. For this, the applicable Telecommunications Act (TKG) has been completely revised and redrafted.

The “Telecommunications Modernization Act” is intended to end 2018 to implement the European Code for Electronic Communication in German law. The deadline for this expires at the end of 2020. Until the new TKG can take effect, however, the Bundestag and Bundesrat still have their say – so Germany is late. This has also meant that the federal government has tightened the pace, the statutory hearings of the affected branches of industry and civil society groups are extremely tight with only a few days.

“More Uncertainty ” Business representatives sharply criticize this rush-hour procedure, because the extensive project affects a wide range of topics – from market regulation to network expansion and consumer rights. “The most important goal of the European Code of Electronic Communications was to accelerate the expansion of broadband. But instead of implementing the directive quickly, the responsible ministries got lost in new legislative ideas. The entire process has led to more uncertainty for the companies concerned “, criticizes Bitkom boss Achim Berg.

One of the central goals of the EU code is the establishment of a right to fast internet – a contemporary one Fast Internet access is thus elevated to the status of a universal service to which every citizen must have access. This is now to be implemented with the TKG: “With this law we create living conditions of equal value,” says Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer (CSU) happily. “Regardless of whether I choose to live in the country or in the city, in future everyone will have a statutory right to high-speed internet.”