Change to the right to fast internet: What citizens can expect

The new Telecommunications Act, which has been in force since December 2021, enshrined a legal entitlement to fast internet for citizens for the first time. Now the coalition parliamentary groups in the Bundestag, consisting of the SPD, Bündnis90/Die Grünen and FDP, have submitted a letter that stipulates at least 15 megabits per second (Mbit/s) for downloads and 5 Mbit/s for uploads as a binding minimum.

• New minimum speed: 15 MBit/s download, 5 MBit/s upload
• Annual review and possible adjustment of values
• Introduction planned for 2024
• Improvements also expected for rural areas

Background and details on the change in the law

The introduction of the right to fast internet is part of the reform of the Telecommunications Act (TKG), which was passed in April 2021 and came into effect in December 2021. Previously, only “functional internet access” with a minimum speed of 56 kilobits per second (kbit/s) was guaranteed. In view of increasing digitalization and the growing importance of fast internet connections, an adjustment was deemed necessary.

The coalition parties have now submitted a new letter declaring their intention to increase the minimum data rate. The Frankfurter Rundschau reports on this in 2024, citing dpa.

According to the letter, the speed is to be increased from the current minimum of 10 Mbit/s download and 1.7 Mbit/s upload to 15 Mbit/s and 5 Mbit/s.

The minimum level is to be reviewed annually and adapted to the average Internet usage in Germany. This flexibility is intended to ensure that the regulation keeps pace with technological developments.

One of the main arguments for setting the values at this level is that it represents a compromise that does not slow down the expansion of fiber optic networks. A minimum value that is too high could force companies to reallocate capacity intended for the construction of gigabit networks at short notice.

More households

By increasing the minimum speeds, the number of households below the new required value will also increase from 1.8 million to 2.2 million. Some of these, in turn, are located within the radius of mobile phone antennas that meet the minimum requirements.

However, satellite internet would also be conceivable for implementation. The only important thing is that Internet access remains affordable.

The Bundestag’s Digital Committee is set to vote on the amendment to the ordinance as early as next Wednesday, giving the Federal Network Agency the go-ahead. The new regulation could then come into force as early as late summer or fall.

FDP member of parliament Maximilian Funke-Kaiser sees an increase in minimum bandwidths as an expansion of the “digital safety net”, while Klaus Müller, President of the Federal Network Agency, compares the law to the minimum wage: “It’s like the minimum wage: most people get more, nobody can have less.”