BNetzA Germany Press (EN)

Bundesnetzagentur Consults on Infrastructure Area Designation Methodology for Electricity Grid Expansion

The Bundesnetzagentur has launched a public consultation on its draft methodology for designating infrastructure areas to replace the federal sectoral planning procedure for new electricity transmission lines. The methodology aims to accelerate grid expansion by identifying areas with minimal environmental and community conflict, allowing projects within designated infrastructure areas to bypass species protection assessments, environmental impact assessments, and Natura 2000 impact assessments. Comments on the draft methodology may be submitted until 28 April 2026 via the designated portal.

Germany Reports 245 Terrorist Content Removal Cases in 2025

BNetzA published its 2025 Transparency and Monitoring Report on addressing terrorist content online in Germany, detailing 245 removal orders issued by the Bundeskriminalamt through hosting service providers, compared to 482 in 2024. The report also records 10,562 items of content removed through proactive measures by hosting providers, 42 user complaints against removals, and 7 cases of content reinstatement. The European Terrorist Content Online Regulation and German Terrorist Content Online Act (TerrOIBG) provide the enforcement framework.

BNetzA Publishes Rules for Proving Reduced Mobile Internet Performance

The Bundesnetzagentur has published a general administrative order and guidelines establishing the methodology for consumers to prove reduced mobile internet performance. The rules, effective 20 April 2026, require 30 measurements taken over 5 calendar days (6 per day) with a significant speed discrepancy defined as failure to achieve the agreed estimated maximum speed on at least 3 of 5 measurement days. Regional adjustments apply based on household density: 75% deduction in high-density areas, 85% in medium-density, and 90% in low-density areas, divided into 300m x 300m raster cells. A dedicated app (Breitbandmessung Nachweisverfahren Mobilfunk) will be available from the effective date for objective evidence collection.