BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - An important vote on the so-called right to fast Internet is due on Wednesday (3 p.m.). The Bundestag's Digital Committee will decide on the adoption of a proposal by the authorities, according to which all households in Germany must receive at least 15 megabits per second for downloads, five megabits more than before.

For uploads, the minimum level triples to 5 megabits per second. Anyone who has less can contact the Federal Network Agency and force a better connection. However, there is a long way to go before a corresponding official order is issued. The legal entitlement has been in place since 2021 and has so far been little used. From the point of view of consumer advocates, the tightening of the requirements is overdue.

In cities, the vast majority of households already get significantly larger bandwidths anyway, but in rural areas or on the outskirts of cities, the legal minimum can help the situation: According to the Federal Network Agency, 2.2 million addresses in Germany could be considered underserved when the rules are expected to come into force at the end of this year. However, some of these could be adequately supplied via mobile communications and satellite./wdw/DP/he