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fsfe.org/news/2025/news-20250124-01.en.xhtml
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fsfe.org/news/2025/news-20250124-01.en.xhtml
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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
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<html newsdate="2025-01-24">
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<version>1</version>
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<head>
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<title>Router Freedom in Germany: A victory for consumers!</title>
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</head>
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<body>
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<h1>Router Freedom in Germany: A victory for consumers!</h1>
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<p>
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After a failed attempt by internet providers to exclude Router Freedom
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from fiber networks, the German regulator BNetzA has confirmed Router
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Freedom in the country. The FSFE, which has been pushing for this since
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2013, will continue to monitor implementation and compliance.
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</p>
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<figure>
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<img src="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/big/793a6fe304069f010b976babaafcb0c7.png"
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alt="illustration of a router with wings and the wifi sign on top of it"/>
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</figure>
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<p>Router Freedom is the right to choose and use the router or modem of
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your choice to connect to the Internet. Similar to freedom of
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choice regarding smartphones or other internet devices, Router Freedom
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is the hardware aspect of net neutrality. In 2013, the FSFE in
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cooperation with other organisations, <a
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href="/activities/routers/timeline.html">started to
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advocate for it in Germany</a>, pushing this agenda with decision
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makers, resulting in a law in 2016 safeguarding Router Freedom for
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end-users.</p>
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<p>In the imminence of the 9th anniversary of the law which, in 2016,
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introduced Router Freedom in Germany, the German telecom regulator
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Bundesnetzagentur (BNetzA) has <a
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href="https://www.bundesnetzagentur.de/DE/Fachthemen/Telekommunikation/Unternehmenspflichten/Schnittstelle_netzabschluss/start.html">
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successfully concluded a regulatory procedure </a>(DE) requested by an
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association of fiber network operators in Germany to exclude Router
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Freedom from fiber networks. The request, made in 2023, was based on a
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series of arguments including security of the network, cost of support,
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quality of service and interoperability issues.</p>
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<h3>No technical necessity to limit Router Freedom in fiber
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networks</h3> <p>In September, 2023, the FSFE submitted a <a
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href="/news/2023/news-20230915-01.html">detailed
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position paper</a> debunking the arguments of the fiber operators. We called
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on the regulator to dismiss the request, as no legal or technical
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reason could support excluding Router Freedom from fiber. Indeed,
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although the network operators have tried to pose fiber networks as a
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special case, we have demonstrated that there is no objective
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technological necessity to abolish Router Freedom. On the contrary,
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Router Freedom for fiber represents freedom of choice, security,
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consumer welfare, fair competition and sustainability.</p>
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<p>The German regulator has analysed the case applying the <a
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href="/news/2020/news-20200601-01.html"> Guidelines proposed by BEREC,
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the association of the European telecom regulators,</a> on the
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location of the “Network Termination Point” (NTP). The Guidelines on
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the NTP allow national authorities to limit Router Freedom if
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an “objective technical necessity” could be established. The criteria
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for that included interoperability, security, simplicity of operation
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and data protection factors. The German operators requested BNetzA to
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completely limit end-users possibility to choose their own routers or to
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separate the fiber optical terminal (ONT), so
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personal routers could be used only in “bridge mode”, which would also
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negatively impact consumer choice.</p>
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<figure>
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<img src="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/big/e15021d00f32dc067d894525d6213354.png"
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alt="Illustration with different bubbles with information explaining why there is no router freedom without Free Software. One bubble says own the router, own the code; another "configure your router"; another "avoid dependency"; another "maintain your router; and the last one "keep your privacy". The illustration has a white background, with lines and bubble titles in different blue colours."/>
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</figure>
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<p>In its <a
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href="https://www.bundesnetzagentur.de/DE/Fachthemen/Telekommunikation/Unternehmenspflichten/Schnittstelle_netzabschluss/bescheid.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=3">comprehensive
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decision</a> (DE), BNetzA rejected all the arguments brought forward by
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the telecom operators, explaining in detail why freedom of terminal
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equipment complies with each of the criteria required by
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BEREC. Among them, we highlight:</p>
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<ul>
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<li><strong>Overstated network security risks:</strong> BNetzA rebutted
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operators by demonstrating that past records have shown that
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operators’ proprietary devices were also vulnerable to security risks. Besides,
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no significant number of security disruptions could be found in all
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those nine years the law has been in force in Germany. Operators have
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been slow in providing security updates to the equipment they provide
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to end-users, so limiting Router Freedom would not improve avoiding
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vulnerabilities;</li>
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<li><strong> Far-fetched disruptive scenarios:</strong> BNetzA
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questioned the far-reaching security scenarios posed by operators,
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pointing out a lack of objectivity in the reports. The disruptive
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assumptions made by the operators could not justify limiting Router Freedom;</li>
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<li><strong>Fragile evidence against interoperability:</strong> BNetzA
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affirmed that it has received very few reports of disruptions due to
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connection of personal routers to the networks. There was one isolated
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case
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in 2016;</li>
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<li><strong>Technological neutrality is necessary:</strong> The
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regulator reinforced a position taken by the German government in 2018
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about safeguarding technological neutrality in regulation. Since
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diverse types of routers and modems are available on the market, the
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legislation should not discriminate against specific types of
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technology. Only a technology-neutral approach guarantees the freedom
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of terminal devices stipulated by European law for the benefit of
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end-users.</li>
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</ul>
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<h3>A victory for long-lasting civil society engagement</h3>
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<p>The <a href="/activities/routers/timeline.html">FSFE's advocacy for
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Router Freedom started in 2013</a>, way before the German law enacting
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this right entered in force. In 2019, during the reform of the EU
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telecom law, we expanded our efforts to the European level, engaging
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with national and European regulators. Router Freedom has became a
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reality in diverse EU countries, including <a
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href="https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/router-freedom-tracker_581123#4/53.12/18.37">
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Finland, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands</a>.</p>
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<p>In all these processes we engaged local communities, experts and
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decision makers to protect the rights of end-users. Community support
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was key for achieving such success. For instance, the FSFE conducted a
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two-year project among its communities to collect data about abuses by
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telecom operators and other difficulties related to Router Freedom. The
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overarching survey resulted in a <a
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href="/news/2023/news-20230515-02.html"> comprehensive report published
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in 2023 </a> demonstrating how internet providers still hamper
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consumer freedom of choice, exercise lock-in over internet equipment and
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promote proprietary devices.</p>
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<p>All over Europe, end-users have manifested their support for our work
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towards improving egulatory policies safeguarding the right to choose
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and use routers and modems. More than 90% of the participants in our
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survey agreed Router Freedom is key for open internet, security and data
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protection, fair competition and digital sustainability.</p>
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<h2>Help us expanding Router Freedom to other countries</h2>
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<p>As Router Freedom represents the hardware layer of net neutrality, it is an important policy demand.</p>
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<figure>
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<img src="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/original/df/e7/235dee8c53a5540177804372ae33.jpg"
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alt="Table with rows and columns in different green tones."/>
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<figcaption>In this chart of types of connection and router
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usage can be seen that, although the majority of DSL subscribers use
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their own routers, those on fiber and coaxial connections are still
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dependent on providers’ equipment.</figcaption>
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</figure>
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<p>Differently from Germany, Router Freedom is still not a reality in
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several EU countries. The regulatory framework remains fragmented with
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countries like <a
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href="/news/2023/news-20231201-01.html">Austria and
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France, which decided to abolish Router Freedom</a>, or countries like
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<a href="/news/2023/news-20230313-01.html">Greece, which was not able to
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fully commit</a> to end-users rights, allowing Router
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Freedom only for limited types of networks.</p>
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<p>That’s why we count on your support. There is still a lot to be
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done. <a href="/news/2024/news-20240307-01.html">Device
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Neutrality is threatened </a> not only by internet service providers,
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but also by software and hardware manufacturers and vendors not
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respecting end-users freedoms and rights. We strongly believe that
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software freedom should be the default standard and end-users should
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not be imprisoned into lock-ins. Tech companies should not trap users
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into walled gardens that limit what they can do with their devices.</p>
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<figure>
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<img src="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/small/35/37/6f6d8017ffdd470670108a7743a4.png"
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alt="Device Neutrality poster: in a greenish-greyish background, a big illustration in the center of two birds breaking from a cage. On top of it you can read "set your devices free" and some other information in a smaller type size. Under the cage, the url www.deviceneutrality.org and on the lower right corner, the device neutrality logo and on the lower left corner, the FSFE logo"/>
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<figcaption>It is time for us to liberate all
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our devices, including routers and modems. Help us with a donation to
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achieve this in Europe!</figcaption>
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</figure>
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<p>We need your support for our long-lasting engagement. We are ready to
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fight for Router Freedom in the next decade. Join our cause now!</p>
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<p class="text-center">
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<fsfe-cd-donate-link class="btn btn-lg btn-primary">Become an FSFE
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supporter now!
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</fsfe-cd-donate-link>
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</p>
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</body>
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<tags>
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<tag key="news">News</tag>
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<tag key="front-page"/>
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<tag key="routers">Router Freedom</tag>
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<tag key="de">Germany</tag>
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<tag key="deviceneutrality">Device Neutrality</tag>
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<tag key="highlights">Highlights</tag>
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</tags>
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<discussion href="https://mastodon.social/deck/@fsfe/"/>
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<image url="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/big/793a6fe304069f010b976babaafcb0c7.png"
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alt="illustration of a router with wings and the wifi sign on top of it"/>
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</html>
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