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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<html newsdate="2025-01-24">
<version>1</version>
<head>
<title>Router Freedom in Germany: A victory for consumers!</title>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Router Freedom in Germany: A victory for consumers!</h1>
<p>
After a failed attempt by internet providers to exclude Router Freedom
from fiber networks, the German regulator BNetzA has confirmed Router
Freedom in the country. The FSFE, which has been pushing for this since
2013, will continue to monitor implementation and compliance.
</p>
<figure>
<img src="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/big/793a6fe304069f010b976babaafcb0c7.png"
alt="illustration of a router with wings and the wifi sign on top of it"/>
</figure>
<p>Router Freedom is the right to choose and use the router or modem of
your choice to connect to the Internet. Similar to freedom of
choice regarding smartphones or other internet devices, Router Freedom
is the hardware aspect of net neutrality. In 2013, the FSFE in
cooperation with other organisations, <a
href="/activities/routers/timeline.html">started to
advocate for it in Germany</a>, pushing this agenda with decision
makers, resulting in a law in 2016 safeguarding Router Freedom for
end-users.</p>
<p>In the imminence of the 9th anniversary of the law which, in 2016,
introduced Router Freedom in Germany, the German telecom regulator
Bundesnetzagentur (BNetzA) has <a
href="https://www.bundesnetzagentur.de/DE/Fachthemen/Telekommunikation/Unternehmenspflichten/Schnittstelle_netzabschluss/start.html">
successfully concluded a regulatory procedure </a>(DE) requested by an
association of fiber network operators in Germany to exclude Router
Freedom from fiber networks. The request, made in 2023, was based on a
series of arguments including security of the network, cost of support,
quality of service and interoperability issues.</p>
<h3>No technical necessity to limit Router Freedom in fiber
networks</h3> <p>In September, 2023, the FSFE submitted a <a
href="/news/2023/news-20230915-01.html">detailed
position paper</a> debunking the arguments of the fiber operators. We called
on the regulator to dismiss the request, as no legal or technical
reason could support excluding Router Freedom from fiber. Indeed,
although the network operators have tried to pose fiber networks as a
special case, we have demonstrated that there is no objective
technological necessity to abolish Router Freedom. On the contrary,
Router Freedom for fiber represents freedom of choice, security,
consumer welfare, fair competition and sustainability.</p>
<p>The German regulator has analysed the case applying the <a
href="/news/2020/news-20200601-01.html"> Guidelines proposed by BEREC,
the association of the European telecom regulators,</a> on the
location of the “Network Termination Point” (NTP). The Guidelines on
the NTP allow national authorities to limit Router Freedom if
an “objective technical necessity” could be established. The criteria
for that included interoperability, security, simplicity of operation
and data protection factors. The German operators requested BNetzA to
completely limit end-users possibility to choose their own routers or to
separate the fiber optical terminal (ONT), so
personal routers could be used only in “bridge mode”, which would also
negatively impact consumer choice.</p>
<figure>
<img src="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/big/e15021d00f32dc067d894525d6213354.png"
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 &quot;configure your router&quot;; another &quot;avoid dependency&quot;; another &quot;maintain your router; and the last one &quot;keep your privacy&quot;. The illustration has a white background, with lines and bubble titles in different blue colours."/>
</figure>
<p>In its <a
href="https://www.bundesnetzagentur.de/DE/Fachthemen/Telekommunikation/Unternehmenspflichten/Schnittstelle_netzabschluss/bescheid.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&amp;v=3">comprehensive
decision</a> (DE), BNetzA rejected all the arguments brought forward by
the telecom operators, explaining in detail why freedom of terminal
equipment complies with each of the criteria required by
BEREC. Among them, we highlight:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Overstated network security risks:</strong> BNetzA rebutted
operators by demonstrating that past records have shown that
operators proprietary devices were also vulnerable to security risks. Besides,
no significant number of security disruptions could be found in all
those nine years the law has been in force in Germany. Operators have
been slow in providing security updates to the equipment they provide
to end-users, so limiting Router Freedom would not improve avoiding
vulnerabilities;</li>
<li><strong> Far-fetched disruptive scenarios:</strong> BNetzA
questioned the far-reaching security scenarios posed by operators,
pointing out a lack of objectivity in the reports. The disruptive
assumptions made by the operators could not justify limiting Router Freedom;</li>
<li><strong>Fragile evidence against interoperability:</strong> BNetzA
affirmed that it has received very few reports of disruptions due to
connection of personal routers to the networks. There was one isolated
case
in 2016;</li>
<li><strong>Technological neutrality is necessary:</strong> The
regulator reinforced a position taken by the German government in 2018
about safeguarding technological neutrality in regulation. Since
diverse types of routers and modems are available on the market, the
legislation should not discriminate against specific types of
technology. Only a technology-neutral approach guarantees the freedom
of terminal devices stipulated by European law for the benefit of
end-users.</li>
</ul>
<h3>A victory for long-lasting civil society engagement</h3>
<p>The <a href="/activities/routers/timeline.html">FSFE's advocacy for
Router Freedom started in 2013</a>, way before the German law enacting
this right entered in force. In 2019, during the reform of the EU
telecom law, we expanded our efforts to the European level, engaging
with national and European regulators. Router Freedom has became a
reality in diverse EU countries, including <a
href="https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/router-freedom-tracker_581123#4/53.12/18.37">
Finland, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands</a>.</p>
<p>In all these processes we engaged local communities, experts and
decision makers to protect the rights of end-users. Community support
was key for achieving such success. For instance, the FSFE conducted a
two-year project among its communities to collect data about abuses by
telecom operators and other difficulties related to Router Freedom. The
overarching survey resulted in a <a
href="/news/2023/news-20230515-02.html"> comprehensive report published
in 2023 </a> demonstrating how internet providers still hamper
consumer freedom of choice, exercise lock-in over internet equipment and
promote proprietary devices.</p>
<p>All over Europe, end-users have manifested their support for our work
towards improving egulatory policies safeguarding the right to choose
and use routers and modems. More than 90% of the participants in our
survey agreed Router Freedom is key for open internet, security and data
protection, fair competition and digital sustainability.</p>
<h2>Help us expanding Router Freedom to other countries</h2>
<p>As Router Freedom represents the hardware layer of net neutrality, it is an important policy demand.</p>
<figure>
<img src="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/original/df/e7/235dee8c53a5540177804372ae33.jpg"
alt="Table with rows and columns in different green tones."/>
<figcaption>In this chart of types of connection and router
usage can be seen that, although the majority of DSL subscribers use
their own routers, those on fiber and coaxial connections are still
dependent on providers equipment.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Differently from Germany, Router Freedom is still not a reality in
several EU countries. The regulatory framework remains fragmented with
countries like <a
href="/news/2023/news-20231201-01.html">Austria and
France, which decided to abolish Router Freedom</a>, or countries like
<a href="/news/2023/news-20230313-01.html">Greece, which was not able to
fully commit</a> to end-users rights, allowing Router
Freedom only for limited types of networks.</p>
<p>Thats why we count on your support. There is still a lot to be
done. <a href="/news/2024/news-20240307-01.html">Device
Neutrality is threatened </a> not only by internet service providers,
but also by software and hardware manufacturers and vendors not
respecting end-users freedoms and rights. We strongly believe that
software freedom should be the default standard and end-users should
not be imprisoned into lock-ins. Tech companies should not trap users
into walled gardens that limit what they can do with their devices.</p>
<figure>
<img src="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/small/35/37/6f6d8017ffdd470670108a7743a4.png"
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 &quot;set your devices free&quot; 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"/>
<figcaption>It is time for us to liberate all
our devices, including routers and modems. Help us with a donation to
achieve this in Europe!</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We need your support for our long-lasting engagement. We are ready to
fight for Router Freedom in the next decade. Join our cause now!</p>
<p class="text-center">
<fsfe-cd-donate-link class="btn btn-lg btn-primary">Become an FSFE
supporter now!
</fsfe-cd-donate-link>
</p>
</body>
<tags>
<tag key="news">News</tag>
<tag key="front-page"/>
<tag key="routers">Router Freedom</tag>
<tag key="de">Germany</tag>
<tag key="deviceneutrality">Device Neutrality</tag>
<tag key="highlights">Highlights</tag>
</tags>
<discussion href="https://mastodon.social/deck/@fsfe/"/>
<image url="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/big/793a6fe304069f010b976babaafcb0c7.png"
alt="illustration of a router with wings and the wifi sign on top of it"/>
</html>