Internet is still not available in parts of Germany. “Home office, streaming on the ICE and reception at the mountain hut must finally be possible without any problems,” says Digital Minister Wissing. The federal government therefore decides on a gigabit strategy, which is primarily intended to reduce bureaucracy.
With the reduction of bureaucratic ballast, the federal government wants to accelerate fiber optic Internet expansion. The cabinet decided on a gigabit strategy containing a package of measures for various expansion aspects. Approval procedures for mobile phone masts that are only in one place for a limited time should no longer be necessary. At other locations, the official procedure is to be accelerated.
The paper contains suggestions for improvement for the faster laying of glass fiber: Simple laying techniques should make it faster, and in some places glass fiber should be hung above ground on wooden poles – this eliminates time-consuming digging. In addition, a “gigabit land register” should provide a better overview of the current supply and future projects. In some cases, the strategy is more like an appeal, as the federal states and local authorities are responsible.
“With our gigabit strategy, we want to achieve the digital dawn for Germany,” explained Federal Digital Minister Volker Wissing after the cabinet decision. “Home office, streaming in the ICE and reception at the mountain hut must finally be possible without any problems.” For this, powerful digital infrastructures would be needed everywhere – “that means fiber optics to the house and the latest mobile communications standard,” said the FDP politician. Now the conditions are being created to make the expansion faster and more efficient.
The topic of fiber optic expansion funding, which is also included in the strategy, is controversial. At the end of 2022, a threshold of 100 megabits per second will no longer apply. So far, new cables can only be laid with state money in areas with poorer values. In the future, funding projects will be possible in much larger areas.
The telecommunications industry sees this with concern: it warns that far too many funding projects would then be started. Construction companies would be completely overburdened and the expansion would also take place where there are only a few households – instead of having a greater impact elsewhere. The expansion would be slowed down, also because subsidized expansion takes two to three times as long as self-supporting expansion, warned Stephan Albers from the fiber optic association Breko, for example.
According to the strategy paper, the 100-megabit threshold will remain abolished. However, it should be worked out where the greatest potential for expansion is – this should serve as a guide.
