telecommunications
Internet undersupply officially detected for the first time
A LAN cable lies on a computer laptop: legal right to a telephone and fast Internet access. photo
© Fernando Gutierrez-Juarez/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa
There are still households in Germany that do not get a minimum bandwidth when it comes to the internet. But that should change quickly now.
For the first time nationwide, the Federal Network Agency has identified an undersupply of telecommunications services under the new right to supply. For some households in four Lower Saxony communities, the legally required minimum supply is not met, said the President of the Authorities, Klaus Müller, on Thursday in Bonn.
“The further process will now focus on establishing the supply as quickly as possible. The affected households should receive a minimum bandwidth as soon as possible.”
According to the Telecommunications Act, every citizen has a legal right to telephone and fast Internet access “for appropriate social and economic participation”. Accordingly, the download speed must be at least ten megabits per second. The upload rate must be at least 1.7 megabits per second. The Federal Network Agency reviews these and other values annually.
The finding affects households in the Lower Saxon communities of Mittelstenahe, Halvesbostel, Brackel and Stuhr. According to the Federal Network Agency, telecommunications providers can now commit to supplying households within one month. If no company makes an offer, the authority will oblige one or more companies within four months at the latest to provide households with a connection and to offer telecommunications services. The obligated providers must then begin to create the conditions for the connection after three months at the latest. The minimum offer should then be available within a further three months.