The German parties CDU, CSU and FDP, who have won a convincing election victory, have made many compromises in their coalition deal which paves the way for the new government to take office in Berlin next week. These are the most important aspects of the agreement regarding telecommunication matters:

• The controversial blockade of child pornography sites will be suspended for one year. Instead, the police will try to delete the web sites with child pornography content. One year later, the parties will re-decide on the matter.
• Access to data from telephone and Internet connectivity will also be suspended for one year, however, telephone and internet providers are urged by the legislation to continue government data retention. National authorities may access the retained data only in the case of serious crime. There is a pending ruling considering this matter by the Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe.
• Online searches of computers may only be performed by the Federal Criminal Police Office and only when authorized by the Federal Court instead of by a district court. Here too, the Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe is looking into current provisions.
• The coalition partners want to improve data privacy protection. The Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and will be staffed better than before and a new foundation of data protection will be created.
• CDU, CSU and FDP also want to start working on a new law to regulate copyright in the information society. Unlike French public authorities, German authorities will not be able to force ISPs to disconnect internet users after three purported copyright violations. They want to support measures that promote the societal understanding of the importance of copyright and respect for other people’s intellectual property.
• There will be continued efforts to expand broadband penetration in Germany. The use of vacant broadcast spectrum, will help to fill short term gaps in coverage. The corresponding frequencies will be auctioned off quickly so that in rural areas cost-effective broadband supply can be ensured.

Further reading (in German):
Coalition Deal between CDU, CSU and FDP
Article about the coalition deal at www.teltarif.de