Federal Cabinet: Grid expansion is in the "overriding public interest"

The German government wants to accelerate network expansion by law and give telecommunications networks a higher legal status. To this end, the Federal Cabinet adopted a so-called formulation aid on Wednesday, with which the parliamentary groups of the coalition are to decide on an amendment to the Telecommunications Act (Telekommunikationsgesetz , TKG).

The TKG is to be amended in such a way that the expansion of public telecommunications networks is described as of "overriding public interest". This would mean that network expansion would be given greater weight in the consideration of other interests such as nature conservation, for example in the case of building permits.

"We are picking up the pace"

"By defining the overriding public interest, we are stepping up the pace of network expansion," says Karsten Wildberger (CDU), the Federal Digital Minister responsible since the beginning of May. The amendment to the TKG can accelerate planning projects in the area of mobile communications and fiber optic expansion in particular. The regulation is to apply temporarily until the end of 2030.

In its proposal for the "Telecommunications Network Expansion Acceleration Act" (TK NaBeG), the traffic light government had included a restriction in favor of nature conservation. This would not have made the planning of mobile phone masts or the laying of fiber optics in nature conservation areas any easier. By contrast, the variant now chosen by the Black-Red coalition would give clear priority.

The ball is in the Bundestag's court

However, the formulation aid for the government factions is now in the hands of the parliamentary groups in the Bundestag. Here too, it is conceivable that there will be some discussion about the extent to which the TKG amendment for the simpler expansion of mobile and fiber optic networks threatens to overshoot the mark. If the governing majority no longer has any major objections, the law could be passed in the coming weeks.

The German Broadband Association (Breko) expressly welcomed the government's initiative. "This is literally outstanding news for the expansion of the digital infrastructure in Germany," says Breko's head of capital office Sven Knapp. The classification puts network expansion "on an equal legal footing with the expansion of electricity grids and renewable energies. This will accelerate the approval process and increase planning security."

(mma)