1&1 calls for access to cable networks

German newspaper Die Welt is reporting that 1&1, the subsidiary of German ISP United Internet, is calling for open access to the country’s cable TV networks for the provision of broadband services. In return, the ISP proposes that alongside its competitors, the company will contribute financially to the upgrading of Germany’s cable networks to enable high speed internet access. Robert Hoffmann, CEO of 1&1, told the paper that regulation should be handled by the country’s telecoms watchdog, the Federal Network Agency (FNA), adding that an agreement is needed in the near future to prevent Germany’s broadband providers from lagging behind their European counterparts. The FNA has so far declined to regulate cable television because its share of the broadband market is less than 10%, according to Die Welt, although figures obtained by the newspaper claim it grew by almost 80% in 2008.