Federal Network Agency

The Federal Network Agency ( or ) is the German regulatory office for electricity, gas, telecommunications, post and railway markets. It is a federal agency of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action and headquartered in Bonn, Germany.

Responsibilities

Telecommunications

In telecommunications, the agency has the authority over the German telephone numbering plan and other technical number assignments. It also regulates the telecommunication market, including termination fees and open access to subscriber lines and licenses telephone companies.

In radio communications, the Agency manages the radio frequency spectrum, licenses broadcasting transmitters and detects radio interferences. Licensing radio and TV stations (that is, content providers), however, is the task of State authorities.

It is also a root certificate authority for qualified signatures according to the German Signature Act.

Postal services

The Agency's responsibility in the post market include the licensing of companies for postal services and the observation of the market. It also regulates the market, assuring non-discriminatory access to some service facilities, such as PO boxes.

Electricity and gas

In the electricity and gas market, the Agency is responsible for ensuring non-discriminatory third-party access to networks and regulating the fees. The Agency is not responsible for licensing energy companies. These tasks remain with authorities determined by State law.

The ''Bundesnetzagentur'' has the following roles under the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG):
* determining the level of financial payment for installations for the generation of electricity from renewable energy sources
* monitoring the nationwide EEG equalisation scheme process between the distribution network operators, the transmission system operators and the electricity suppliers
* publishing the capacity of the newly installed renewable energy installations (monthly)
* conducting the auction process for renewable energy installations.

Railway

In the area of railway traffic, the Federal Network Agency is responsible for ensuring non-discriminatory access to railway infrastructure. This includes monitoring and regulating the train schedules, allocation of railway track slots, access to service facilities, etc.

The agency is not responsible for technical supervision and licensing of railway companies. These tasks remain with the Federal Railway Office (, EBA).

History

In the 1990s, the telecommunications and postal services in Germany were privatized. In 1994, the Deutsche Bundespost, was privatised and split into Deutsche Post and Deutsche Telekom, which remained under the supervision of the Federal Office for Post and Telecommunications (, BAPT). When the market was finally opened to competitors on 1 January 1998, the Regulatory Authority for Telecommunications and Posts (, ) was established, superseding the Federal Office as the supervisor for posts and telecommunications.

When the government decided to improve competition for the energy and railway markets as of 13 July 2005 and 1 January 2006, it found that the Regulatory Authority's expertise in enabling open access to telecommunication networks would also be useful in these infrastructure markets. To reflect these new competences, the authority was renamed to Federal Network Agency for Electricity, Gas, Telecommunications, Posts and Railway (, ).

To comply with the 2022 EU Digital Services Act, the agency took several steps, including the installation of a Digital Services Coordinator. The Coordinator is responsible for appointing ''trusted flaggers'', people or organisations who roam the internet looking for "illegal" content as requested by the act and, as interpreted by agency president Klaus Müller, for "hate" and "fake news". Social media platforms are obliged to give trusted flagger reports preferential treatment. The first trusted flagger was the organisation "Respect!", appointed in October 2024 and formed as part of the foundation "Jugendstiftung Baden-Württemberg", ultimately financed by the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth.

Governance

Presidents

* Klaus-Dieter Scheurle (1998–2000)
* Matthias Kurth (2001–2012)
* Jochen Homann (2012–2022)
* Klaus Müller (2022–present)

Advisory Council

The Advisory Council consists of 16 members of the German Bundestag and 16 representatives of the German Bundesrat; the Bundesrat representatives must be members or political representatives of the government of a federal state. The members and deputy members of the Advisory Council are appointed by the federal government upon the proposal of the German Bundestag and the German Bundesrat.

See also

* SMARD data portal

References

{{Authority control

Communications authorities
Communications in Germany
Electric power in Germany
Electricity authorities
Federal authorities in Bonn
German federal agencies
Government railway authorities
Rail transport in Germany
Regulation in Germany
Government agencies established in 1998
1998 establishments in Germany