Build cell phone masts first, then approve them? City Day is against it


In the discussion about an accelerated expansion of mobile communications, the German Association of Cities warns against drawing the wrong conclusions. Telefónica Deutschland boss Markus Haas had in the Süddeutsche Zeitung for the motto “First build, then approve” – ​​according to the manager, a corresponding change in the rules could speed up the network expansion. EU countries such as Spain have already done so. Helmut Dedy from the German Association of Cities, on the other hand, expressed criticism. “With the motto ‘Build first, then approve’ we won’t make any faster progress,” Dedy told the dpa. “This demand misjudges reality.”

The municipal representative said that many construction works of antennas or mobile phone masts do not even have to be approved. “And where the cities issue permits for larger transmitters, construction rarely starts right away,” said the local representative. “Here it is up to the companies themselves to accelerate the expansion.”

The general manager of the German Association of Cities emphasized that rapid network expansion can only go hand in hand with a high level of acceptance among the population. Therefore, the locations of transmission towers and antennas would have to be chosen carefully and local residents would have to be heard. “And the cities cannot allow it everywhere where network operators want to place transmitters.” Safety aspects, monument protection or the structural situation could speak against it.

So that the expansion progresses and dead spots are closed, the municipalities are cooperating with the telecommunications companies, said Dedy. “They provide suitable plots of land and negotiate contract terms for the use of municipal properties.” The cities are “reliable partners in network expansion”.

The duration of the approval process has long been a nuisance for the telecommunications industry. According to industry information, it usually takes 18 to 20 months for new locations to get the green light. The network operators have long been demanding better conditions and less bureaucracy so that the expansion can progress more quickly.

The Bitkom industry association complained on Friday that the application process often takes much longer than the actual construction. “It shouldn’t take more than three months from the application to approval,” demanded Bitkom President Achim Berg. The expansion is currently not progressing at more than 1000 mobile radio locations in Germany. “Complicated, lengthy procedures slow down or block network expansion – and with it digitization.”

Telefónica manager Haas previously had in the Süddeutsche Zeitung emphasizes that his company carefully selects the locations. After often years of procedures, 99 percent of all locations would be approved in the end. And what if the construction is complete and, contrary to expectations, the answer is no? “If approval cannot be granted, we will rebuild the site,” said Haas. “So the risk is entirely on us.”

And what does the federal government say about this? The implementation of the topics of the coalition agreement is currently being examined, said a spokeswoman for the Digital Ministry. It says, for example, that the approval of the networks should also be significantly accelerated. The ministry spokeswoman said nothing about the specific Haas proposal.


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