The Federal Network Agency wants to significantly reduce the number of its locations in Germany in the long term. The Federal Ministry of Economics has approved a corresponding location concept, according to a letter from the supervisory authority to its advisory board, as reported by the German Press Agency (dpa). “We want to fulfill our tasks as efficiently as possible,” explained a spokesman for the authorities. “The concept creates clarity and planning security for our employees.” It is also probably about reducing costs: they want to be guided “by economic aspects”, they say.
The federal authority has 46 locations with a total of 2765 employees, with its headquarters in Bonn. On the cross-off list are 18 small locations with 267 employees. However, the employees should be able to remain at the respective location until the end of their work for the authority. Depending on when the last employee on site retires or leaves for other reasons, a location closes: The first closure is planned for 2032, the last could take place in 2065. The locations would be “gradually and carefully consolidated in a socially responsible manner, taking into account the ability of the Federal Network Agency to work”.
Soon also supervision for online platforms
The fact that the network agency has offices in so many cities is due to its history: It arose from the very present postal and telecommunications administration of the Federal Postal Ministry, which was dissolved in the 1990s with the privatization of the postal service and Telekom. Since then, the Federal Network Agency has carried out supervisory and regulatory tasks and has technicians on site. The network agency is also called in when products appear on the market that prove to be dangerous.
The federal authority is also faced with new tasks: according to a report on German supervision of online platforms within the meaning of the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA). A corresponding draft law has already been drawn up. The mediation body, which is important for the future regulation of Google, Facebook, Twitter & Co., is intended to act, among other things, as a relay station and central contact for the EU Commission. She is responsible for overseeing very large online platforms with over 45 million monthly active users in the EU.
According to the dpa report, the locations on the cross-off list involve various activities for their own authority and for other federal authorities, such as payroll processing and travel expense accounting. In addition, tasks such as energy and rail regulation as well as frequency management are carried out at these locations. The 18 locations that are to be closed in the long term are spread across Germany. In alphabetical order, the following cities are involved: Bayreuth, Chemnitz, Detmold, Dresden, Freiburg, Fulda, Kassel, Kiel, Landshut, Leer, Meschede, Mülheim, Münster, Neubrandenburg, Neustadt an der Weinstraße, Regensburg, Rostock and Schwäbisch Hall.
(sigh)
