With the planned amendment to the Telecommunications Act, the Federal Government aims, amongst other things, to facilitate the roll-out of fibre-optic networks within buildings and to ensure that the transition from copper to fibre-optic networks is conducted in a transparent and non-discriminatory manner. The Monopolies Commission will comment on this matter at the public hearing held by the German Bundestag’s Committee on Digital Affairs and State Modernisation on 4 November 2026.
The Monopolies Commission broadly welcomes the draft bill. The proposed right to full roll-out within buildings and the strengthening of oversight of abusive practices take up key recommendations from the 2025 Telecommunications Sector Report. It sees a particular need for further action, notably regarding access to fibre-optic networks, the phasing out of the copper network and the acceleration of regulatory procedures.
The Monopolies Commission takes a critical view of the planned abolition of the Federal Government’s obligation to comment on its telecommunications reports. This obligation ensures that the Federal Government regularly and transparently engages with the Monopolies Commission’s independent analyses and recommendations.
In particular, the Monopolies Commission recommends:
- That the Federal Government’s obligation to comment on telecommunications reports be retained.
- To align charges for access to in-building networks strictly with costs and to examine the introduction of a modernisation obligation for existing blocks of flats from a specific cut-off date.
- To establish a provider-neutral criterion specifying the level of fibre-optic roll-out at which the copper network should be decommissioned – if necessary, within the European Digital Networks Act.
