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REEDOM ON THE

2013

EORGIA

Internet access and use continues to grow rapidly in Georgia, particularly as interest in connecting

with friends through social-networking sites has increased in recent years. State bodies and several

key politicians have also increased their use of the internet and modern social media tools to share

information with citizens and attract attention from the potential electorate.

Many government

agencies are publicizing information on the web, including the Ministry of Justice, which publishes

all laws, bills, and decrees of the government on its website.

The internet was first introduced in Georgia at the end of 1990s, and after a boom in new services

such as broadband at the beginning of 2004, connections became available for almost everyone with

a telephone line in Tbilisi. Internet subscriptions have also proliferated in other large cities. Online

news media are still developing slowly, while a growing number of newspapers are launching

websites, and major newspapers and news agencies are sharing content through applications such as

Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Meanwhile, many journalists working in the traditional media

sphere are looking for ways to advance their knowledge of internet technology and web tools.

In 2012–2013, there were fewer restrictions on online content in Georgia than there had been in

previous years. There are no indications of censorship or content being blocked by the Georgian

authorities or internet service providers (ISPs), and there are no recent cases of activists or

reporters being questioned or arrested for their online activities.

Despite a moderate internet penetration rate, in 2012, social media tools and Web 2.0 applications

were used alongside traditional media outlets to document and respond to significant political and

social events. In the months leading up to the parliamentary elections in October 2012, in which

the Georgian Dream coalition defeated the ruling United National Movement, the U.S.-based

National Democratic Institute partnered with Georgian NGOs to produce an online Elections

Portal where citizens could report incidents relating to the election and the preceding campaigns.

Additionally, in September 2012, videos revealing prisoner abuse that were shown on television

channels were also shared online via YouTube, while images and information about the subsequent

protests were shared via Twitter.

The number of internet and mobile telephone users in Georgia is growing, but high prices for

services and inadequate infrastructure remain obstacles, particularly for those in rural areas or with

The website of the President of Georgia features links to all of the named social media sites: http://president.gov.ge/.

Ministry of Justice, http://matsne.gov.ge.

Transparency International Georgia, “The State of the Internet: Who Controls Georgia’s Telecommunications Sector?”

February 2013, http://j.mp/16hJu3p.

Onnik Krikorian, “Georgia: ‘Broom Revolution’ as Elections Approach,” Global Voices, September 23, 2012,

http://globalvoicesonline.org/2012/09/23/georgia‐broom‐revolution‐as‐parliamentary‐elections‐approach/.

NTRODUCTION

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CCESS

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REEDOM ON THE

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EORGIA

low incomes. According to statistical data collected by the International Telecommunication Union

(ITU), 46 percent of the population had access to the internet in 2012, up from 37 percent in

2011;

a survey by the Caucasus Research Resource Centers (CRRC) confirmed that 46 percent of

the population accessed the internet on a daily basis.

Only four percent of Georgians are unfamiliar

with the internet altogether.

The most frequent activity among users was the use of social media tools (75 percent of users),

while 45 percent used the internet to search for information, and 20 percent browsed the news.

With 1.1 million registered users on Facebook, social networks serve as an important platform for

discussion and information exchange among the more liberal segments of Georgian society. State

bodies have also stepped up their use of the internet. For example, departments in the Ministry of

Justice, the Ministry of Finance’s Tax Inspection, and others have developed online services that

allow citizens to register and receive services, apply for identification cards, or file tax

documentation. Several state services are entering the mobile apps market; for example, the

Georgian Police have created an app where users can check important information or pay fines

associated with tickets.

ISPs offer dial-up, DSL broadband, fiber-optic, EVDO, and CDMA connections. The average cost

for an internet connection is $20 a month, and the lowest price for a 5 Mbps DSL connection is

about $12 per month.

Many users complain about the quality of connections and suffer from

frequent outages. Nevertheless, there were over 430,000 fixed-line broadband internet

connections in 2012,

resulting in a broadband penetration rate of 7.6 percent, up from 0.6

percent in 2006.

Mobile phone penetration is greater than that of the internet and has continued to grow from 59

percent in 2007 to 109 percent in 2012.

Mobile phones significantly outnumber landlines, and

reception is available throughout the country, including rural areas. The use of mobile devices to

connect to the internet has been limited by high costs, but providers are offering new and

somewhat less expensive services, including CDMA and EVDO technologies.

International Telecommunication Union (ITU), “Percentage of individuals using the Internet, fixed (wired) Internet

subscriptions, fixed (wired)‐broadband subscriptions,” 2012, accessed July 1, 2013, http://www.itu.int/ITU‐

D/ICTEYE/Indicators/Indicators.aspx#.

“Development of e‐communication in Georgia—access to the internet,” Institute for Development of Freedom of Information,

http://www.idfi.ge/?cat=researches&lang=en&topic=108&header=.

Tinatin Zurabishvili, Media Survey 2011, Georgia, Caucasus Research Resource Centers, 2011, http://www.crrc.ge/oda/.

Elza Ketsbaia, “Internet usage in Georgia,” Net Prophet, January 30, 2012, http://netprophet.tol.org/2012/01/30/internet‐

usage‐in‐georgia/.

Comparative data from two major ISP’s prices (SilkNet and Caucasus Online).

Data provided by GNCC – Annual Report 2012 [in Georgian],

http://www.gncc.ge/files/3100_2949_681569_ANNUAL%20REPORT%202012.pdf

International Telecommunication Union (ITU), “Percentage of individuals using the Internet, fixed (wired) Internet

subscriptions, fixed (wired)‐broadband subscriptions.”

International Telecommunication Union (ITU), “Mobile‐cellular telephone subscriptions,” 2007 & 2012, accessed July 13,

2013, http://www.itu.int/ITU‐D/ICTEYE/Indicators/Indicators.aspx#.

296

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REEDOM ON THE

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EORGIA

The Georgian National Communications Commission (GNCC) introduced mobile number

portability in February 2011

and fixed-line number portability in December 2011,

giving users

more freedom to switch between service providers and choose between price plans.

According to

a new national numbering plan, as of January 2012, all phone numbers have changed to align with

international standards.

The web presence and internet usage of large companies and small businesses grew rapidly in

2012–2013, particularly as a result of social media tools. Many established brands and companies

such as banks, financial institutions, artists, public figures, and electronics stores have begun to use

social media to promote their businesses and build customer support,

and more money is being

invested in online projects.

Cybercafes provide internet access at reasonable prices, but they are located mainly in large cities,

and there are too few to meet the needs of the population. Most cafes have less than a dozen

computers, and customers often have to wait as long as an hour for access. Internet cafes have

become a popular place for online gamers, where the younger generation spends hours playing

online games. Many restaurants, cafes, bars, cinemas, and other gathering places provide Wi-Fi

access, allowing customers to use the internet on their personal laptops. As part of the global

tourism campaign “Tbilisi – The city that loves you,” the municipality has covered most central

districts of the city with free Wi-Fi access. The connection speed is relatively slow; it allows users

to connect to the internet via mobile devices, but the connection is not strong enough for laptops to

offer a full browsing experience.

There are currently 32 entities registered as ISPs in Georgia, 10 of which are large networks of

governmental services or corporations, which are closed to the public and serve only their own

employees or branches. Most ISPs are privately-owned, and two ISPs serve more than two-thirds of

the market: SilkNet, with more than 44.5 percent of the market, and Caucasus Online, with a 32

percent share. Three of the 20 ISPs are also mobile operators.

A special report from Transparency

International Georgia cites that many of the major telecommunications companies are owned by

offshore shell companies.

“Ported Subscriber Numbers Statistics,” Georgian National Communication Commission, May 25, 2011,

http://www.gncc.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=110&info_id=9071.

“Porting of Subscriber Number of Fixed Network Started From Today,” Georgian National Communication Commission,

December 1, 2011, http://www.gncc.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=110&info_id=9812.

Mobile price plan calculator: http://online.gncc.ge/MobileCalc/MobileCalc2.aspx The Calculator gives users the ability to

choose best plan and pricing options between mobile operators.

Phone numbers now all begin with 0 and 00 prefixes.

Georgian‐language Facebook page statistics service, [in Georgian], http://like.ge/.

According to a leading marketing specialist David Birman: “2011 was the year of discovery of social networks for Georgian

Businesses.” Commersant.ge, January 25, 2012, [in Georgian], http://www.commersant.ge/?id=6504.

“Mayor Vows to Blanket Tbilisi with Free Wifi,” Civil.ge, June 4, 2012, http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=24848.

Data obtained in August 2013. For current data, see Top.ge at http://top.ge/all_report.php [in Georgian].

A complex and compelling database of the ownerships and relations between companies is provided by TI under following

address: http://goo.gl/AgsVL. Transparency International Georgia, “The State of the Internet: Who Controls Georgia’s

Telecommunications Sector?” February 2013, http://j.mp/16hJu3p.

297

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REEDOM ON THE

2013

EORGIA

The telecommunications infrastructure in Georgia is still weak and users may experience

disconnections from the international internet up to two or three times per month, allowing them

to access only Georgian websites. In general, the connection speed for accessing content hosted in

Georgia is greater than for international content. There are many factors influencing the connection

to the international backbone, including the major underground fiber-optic cable that is often

threatened by landslides, heavy rain, or construction work along the road. However, contrary to

instances in recent years when access throughout the entire country was disrupted, no significant

outages were reported in 2012-2013.

The Georgian National Communications Commission (GNCC) is the main media and

communications regulatory body and is also responsible for regulating online media, although there

have yet to be many test cases regarding the latter. The GNCC mostly deals with mobile operators,

as well as television and radio broadcasting licenses. However, there is no significant difference

between GNCC procedures for handling traditional media and those pertinent to

telecommunications and internet issues; thus, criticism surrounding the commission’s alleged lack

of transparency and flawed licensing procedures for traditional media may reappear in the context

of internet regulation. Nevertheless, the GNCC has begun to involve the public in discussions and

committee hearings, signaling that it is slowly turning toward openness and transparency. For

example, the GNCC has started a project of monitoring the actual speed of the internet connection

for customers of three main ISPs; however, the report is not yet available and the project may close

before publication due to an alleged corruption case.

There is no evidence of online content being blocked in Georgia in 2012–2013. In 2011, the

government temporarily blocked access to torrent sites and peer-to-peer file sharing services to

discourage the illegal download of a Hollywood action film about the 2008 Russian-Georgian war.

However, aside from this isolated incident, government censorship is not a major hindrance to

internet freedom in Georgia.

YouTube, Facebook, and international blog-hosting services are freely available. Facebook is now

the most popular website among internet users in Georgia, with bloggers and journalists

increasingly using it to share or promote their content, gain readers, or start discussions on current

events. Facebook is also used by civil activists and others as a tool for discussion about ongoing

political and social events.

Users can freely visit any website around the world, upload or download any content, and contact

other users via forums, social-networking sites, and instant messaging applications. In fact, content

is so accessible that numerous sites offer illegal material such as pirated software, music, and

movies, and the government has not enacted appropriate legal measures to combat the problem.

“Cracking Down on Pirated August War Movie,” Georgian America, 2011,

http://georgianamerica.com/eng/news/cracking_down_on_pirated_august_war_movie_3179.

IMITS ON

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REEDOM ON THE

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ISPs still host websites with a great deal of pirated material,

but visits to such sites have decreased

and given way to social-networking, video-sharing, blogging, and news sites.

Within some state

institutions and private companies, there are instances of website filtering software in place,

designed to improve worker productivity by blocking access to sites such as Facebook and

YouTube. At the same time, both governmental bodies and private employers are increasingly

using social media for recruitment and public relations purposes.

There are no laws that specifically govern the internet, regulate online censorship, or ban

inappropriate content such as pornography or violent material. There are also no blacklists or other

registers of websites and online resources that should be blocked. Nevertheless, all legal

regulations, particularly copyright or criminal law, apply directly to internet activities using legal

analogy, and so far this legal ambiguity has not been exploited to impose significant internet content

restrictions. However, there are some concerns about the impartiality of blocking decisions made

by the GNCC. For example, the political nature of the 2011 decision by the GNCC to crack down

on sites illegally hosting the film about the Georgian-Russian war, despite doing very little to

combat online piracy in general, implies a lack of evenhanded decision making. To date, however,

such decisions regarding online content have been rare.

Self-censorship among Georgian internet users is active to some extent but primarily centers on

issues related to Georgian traditions, social norms, taboos, or religion. Instances of self-censorship

due to political pressure have decreased over the past year. No cases of governmental manipulation

of online content were reported—manipulation is neither systematic nor pervasive.

Inadequate revenues in the online news business, combined with a lack of technological knowledge,

have hampered the expansion of traditional media outlets to the internet. The government’s

apparent interest in blogging and social media could help spur traditional outlets to establish a

greater internet presence, but this would also require more private investment in online

advertising. Currently, it is estimated that annual spending on online advertising does not exceed

$1 million,

which is only approximately one percent of the total amount spent in the Georgian

advertising market. At present, most online media outlets face difficulty in attracting advertisers;

however, the market is rapidly changing and there are signs of improvement.

The Georgian blogosphere grew impressively to over 3,000 blogs in 2011,

and online activism

continued to increase in the second half of 2012. Much of this online activity was related to the fact

that several videos of prisoner torture and abuse were leaked on television broadcasts, which

For example, the websites of Gol.ge (http://gol.ge/) and Adjarnet.com (http://adjaranet.com).

“Top Sites in Georgia,” Alexa, accessed August 2013, http://www.alexa.com/topsites/countries/GE.

“The Georgian Advertising Market,” Transparency International Georgia, December 2011,

http://transparency.ge/sites/default/files/post_attachments/TI%20Georgia%20‐

%20The%20Georgian%20Advertising%20Market_0.pdf.

Zakaria Babutsidze, et al., “The Structure of Georgian Blogosphere and Implications for Information Diffusion,” European

Consortium for Political Research, August 5, 2011,

http://www.ecprnet.eu/MyECPR/proposals/reykjavik/uploads/papers/1676.pdf.

299

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REEDOM ON THE

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resulted in mass protests throughout Georgia and caused an unprecedentedly high number of video

views, shares, and discussions among almost all Georgian websites, blogs and other services.

Although most Georgians use the internet as a source of entertainment, various social media and

communication apps have become important platforms for discussion and information exchange. In

the months leading up to the October 2012 parliamentary elections, the National Democratic

Institute partnered with three Georgian civil society groups—Transparency International Georgia,

the International Society for Elections and Democracy, and the Georgian Young Lawyers’

Association—to produce an election monitoring platform where citizens could report not only

violations on election day, but also incidents in the months leading up to the election, such as

fraudulent voter lists or the illegal use of government resources.

Different political and civil society groups post calls for action on Facebook and use social media

marketing tools for communicating with their supporters. However, most forms of online activism

to date have remained online and have not had a significant impact offline. Minorities and

vulnerable groups in general are not restricted from internet use, and are represented online

through a small number of forums and blogs. During the last year, LGBT activists have started to

extensively use online tools for coordination, distributing information, and protesting

discrimination in the public sphere.

Civil rights, including the right to access information and freedom of expression, are guaranteed by

the Georgian constitution and are generally respected in practice.

The Law on Freedom of Speech

and Expression makes it clear that other “generally accepted rights” related to freedom of

expression are also protected even if they are not specifically mentioned.

Furthermore, Article 20

of the constitution and Article 8 of the Law of Georgia on Electronic Communications include

privacy guarantees for users and their information, but they simultaneously allow privacy rights to

be restricted by the courts or other legislation.

Online activities can be prosecuted under these

laws—mainly in cases of alleged defamation, which was decriminalized in 2004—or under any

applicable criminal law. Furthermore, a huge discussion on the independence of the judiciary has

been taking place in Georgian society. International organizations such as Transparency

International and Georgian NGOs such as the Georgian Young Lawyers Association have reported

that despite recent reforms and changes in the judiciary system, its independence is still tenuous

“Videos of Inmate Abuse, Rape Emerge,” Civil.ge, September 19, 2012, http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=25220.

Chris Doten, “Only Amateurs Steal Elections at the Ballot Box,” NDItech DemocracyWorks, February 21, 2012,

https://demworks.org/blog/2012/02/only‐amateurs‐steal‐elections‐ballot‐box.

The constitution is available in English at: http://www.parliament.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=68.

Article 19, Guide to the Law of Georgia on Freedom of Speech and Expression (London: Article 19, April 2005),

http://www.article19.org/pdfs/analysis/georgia‐foe‐guide‐april‐2005.pdf.

The law is available in English on the GNCC website at:

http://www.gncc.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=7050&info_id=3555.

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and “suffers from undue influence exerted by the Prosecutor’s Office and the executive

authority.”

Nevertheless, there were no cases of charges against online users for libel or other internet

activities in 2012–2013. There were also no known instances of detention or prosecution, and

compared to previous years, there were no reported occurrences of extralegal intimidation or

violence against users.

The Georgian Law on Operative-Investigative Activity, passed in 1999, grants the police and

security services significant discretion in conducting surveillance. Police can generally begin

surveillance without a court’s approval, though they must obtain it within 24 hours. There are

some official requirements for launching such monitoring, but in reality it is sufficient to label the

targeted individual a suspect or assert that he or she may have criminal connections. New

amendments to the law promulgated in September 2010 require that websites, mail servers, ISPs,

and other relevant companies make private communications data such as e-mail and chats available

to law enforcement authorities when court approval is obtained.

There were no known cases of

this occurring in 2012; however, it was reported from an anonymous executive in the government

that the monitoring infrastructure is still in place and allows governmental bodies to monitor and

collect data on citizens’ telecommunication usage, habits, browsing history, and other details. In

the spring of 2013, the Interior Minister and the State Prosecutor declared that all of the data which

was collected during previous years under the named law would be destroyed.

Additionally, ISPs and mobile phone companies are obliged to deliver statistical data on user

activities concerning site visits, traffic, and other topics when asked by the government.

Cybercafes, on the other hand, are not obliged to comply with government monitoring, as they do

not register or otherwise gather data about customers. Individuals are required to register when

buying a SIM card in order to obtain a phone number.

Cyberattacks against opposition websites have not been a significant issue in Georgia, with the latest

major attacks occurring in 2008 and 2009 in relation to political tensions between Georgia and

Russia. By the end of 2012, the Data Exchange Agency started monitoring Georgian websites for

the presence of malicious codes, hacking attacks, or other suspicious activities, publishing the

information regularly on their website

as well as on their official Facebook page.

Erekle Urushadze, “Judiciary,” in National Integrity System – Georgia, ed. Caitlin Ryan (Transparency International – Georgia,

2011), http://transparency.ge/nis/2011/judiciary.

Tamar Chkheidze, “Internet Control in Georgia,” Humanrights.ge, November 17, 2010,

http://www.humanrights.ge/index.php?a=main&pid=12564&lang=eng.

Barbara Frye, Ioana Caloianu, Vladimir Matan, and Molly Jane Zuckerman, “Georgia Offers Amnesty to Collect Illegal

Surveillance Tapes, Baku Hits Back at RFE,” Transitions Online, July 29, 2013, http://www.tol.org/client/article/23879‐georgia‐

offers‐amnesty‐to‐collect‐illegal‐surveillance‐tapes‐baku‐hits‐back‐at‐rfe.html.

Data Exchange Agency homepage, http://dea.gov.ge.

CERT Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/certgovge.

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 A federal regulatory decision made on April 10, 2013 regarding vectoring technology

and the prices charged for “last mile” access has the potential to further entrench the

market dominance of the leading ISP, Deutsche Telekom (see O

BSTACLES TO

CCESS

 A Federal Court of Justice decision in July 2012 placed greater liability on host

providers, stipulating that once the provider is made aware of copyright-infringing

material, they must take steps to prevent further instances of that material being

uploaded to their platform (see L

IMITS ON

ONTENT

 In May 2012, amendments to the telecommunication act included a provision that

would allow the government to define basic requirements for non-discriminatory data

transfer and access with a view of safeguarding net neutrality. However, the

government has not yet established any requirements (see L

IMITS ON

ONTENT

 Amendments to the telecommunication act also lowered the threshold for public

agencies to access individual user data, including sensitive data such as name, address,

date of birth, user passwords and dynamic IP addresses (see V

IOLATIONS OF

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IGHTS

2012

2013

NTERNET

REEDOM

TATUS

REE

Obstacles to Access (0-25)

Limits on Content (0-35)

Violations of User Rights (0-40)

Total (0-100)

*0=most free, 100=least free

OPULATION

81.8 million

NTERNET

ENETRATION

2012:

85 percent

OCIAL

EDIA

/ICT

PPS

LOCKED

OLITICAL

OCIAL

ONTENT

LOCKED

LOGGERS

/ICT

SERS

RRESTED

RESS

REEDOM

2013

TATUS

Free

EVELOPMENTS

2012

–

PRIL

2013

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REEDOM ON THE

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Germany has a high level of internet and mobile phone penetration, and only the adoption of high-

speed broadband is lagging behind other highly developed countries. However, the fact that

regulators are allowing the use of vectoring technology to further the development of superfast

broadband internet has encountered criticism, given that this technology allows the largest internet

service providers (ISPs) to maintain some of their market dominance.

While media and internet freedom principles are generally well-respected, legally codified, and

have been repeatedly affirmed in Germany, certain trends over the past year have challenged these

principles. In this respect, changes in online copyright enforcement legislation and practices are

starting to limit the liability privilege of ISPs and host providers. Intermediaries are now required to

implement specific filter and blocking systems in order to prevent further the infringement of

attempt to avoid this liability.

The struggle for net neutrality continues to be an ongoing issue of public debate in Germany.

Amendments to the telecommunication act in May 2012 stipulated that the government could

require ISPs to offer internet access in a content-neutral fashion, which would be a significant step

toward net neutrality. However, the amendment does not automatically safeguard this principle;

rather, it requires the government to take further action by defining the minimum quality standards

with which ISPs must comply. Meanwhile, German telecommunications companies introduced

revised customer contracts that have revived concerns about their non-transparent traffic

management practices.

Against a broad coalition of societal actors, legislators also extended the scope of the “stored data

inquiry” (Bestandsdatenauskunft) through the amended telecommunication act of 2013. Data

protection experts criticize the lower threshold for intrusions of citizens’ privacy as

disproportionate and are considering another constitutional complaint against the

telecommunication act.

Germany’s network infrastructure for information and communication technologies is well-

developed, with 76 percent of the population in Germany having private internet access. Together

with the number of mobile-only internet users, this has resulted in an overall internet penetration

rate of 85 percent, which is 10 percentage points above the European Union (EU) average.

Eurostat, “Broadband and Connectivity ‐ Households”, April 29, 2013,

http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?dataset=isoc_bde15b_h&lang=en. Official International Telecommunication

Union (ITU) data places the internet penetration rate for 2012 at 84 percent. See International Telecommunication Union (ITU),

“Percentage of individuals using the Internet,” 2012, accessed July 8, 2013, http://www.itu.int/ITU‐

D/ICTEYE/Indicators/Indicators.aspx.

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However, growth in internet penetration is clearly slowing down, with figures increasing by only

2.5 percentage points in 2012 in contrast to increases of 5–6 points in the years before.

Also, few

individuals who currently do not use the internet are planning to obtain access in the future.

Internet connections in private homes are almost universal, with 93 percent of households having a

broadband connection of at least 1 Mbps and only 5 percent still using slower dial-up connections.

The most widely used access technique is still DSL (82 percent), but cable internet connections are

becoming more widespread (11 percent).

With regard to high-speed broadband connections,

there is a remarkable gap between supply and demand. On the supply side, connections with more

than 50 Mbps are available for about 55 percent of households.

On the demand side, adoption is

lagging behind: only 9 percent of households actually subscribe to fast connections between 30 and

100 Mbps.

Regarding the take-up of connections of at least 10 Mbps, Germany is also lagging

behind internationally with only 33 percent of households having such connections, in comparison

to the EU average of 48 percent.

For this reason, the federal regulator has been criticized for

supporting controversial vectoring technology instead of focusing on the roll-out of fiber-optic

broadband.

Mobile phone penetration in Germany is almost universal, with a penetration rate of over 132

percent.

The adoption of mobile internet access increased from 28 to 40 percent in early 2013,

which is rather slow by international standards.

While 72 percent of mobile internet users have

additional landline access, mobile internet is the only form of internet access for almost a third of

Birgit van Eimeren/Beate Frees, “76 Prozent der Deutschen online ‐ neue Nutzungssituationen durch mobile Endgeräte.

Ergebnisse der ARD/ZDF‐Onlinestudie 2012” [76 percent of Germans are online – new usage situations by mobile devices],

Media Perspektiven 7‐8/2012, p. 362‐379, http://www.ard‐zdf‐onlinestudie.de/fileadmin/Online12/0708‐

2012_Eimeren_Frees.pdf; Other surveys report up to 79 per cent, cf.: Initiative D21, “(N)Onliner Atlas 2012. Basiszahlen für

Deutschland” [Baseline numbers for Germany], 2012. http://www.initiatived21.de/wp‐content/uploads/2012/06/NONLINER‐

Atlas‐2012‐Basiszahlen‐f%C3%BCr‐Deutschland.pdf; Forschungsgruppe Wahlen, “Internet‐Strukturdaten. Repräsentative

Umfrage” [Structural internet data. representative survey], IV quarter of 2012,

http://www.forschungsgruppe.de/Aktuelles/Internet‐Strukturdaten/web_IV_12_1.pdf.

Initiative D21, 2012, p. 4.

Statistisches Bundesamt [Federal Statistical Office], “28 Millionen Haushalte in Deutschland haben einen Breitbandanschluss”

[28 million households in Germany have a broadband connection], press release No. 474, December 19, 2011,

https://www.destatis.de/DE/PresseService/Presse/Pressemitteilungen/2011/12/PD11_474_63931.html.

Ibid.

TÜV Rheinland Consulting, “Bericht zum Breitbandatlas Ende 2012 im Auftrag des Bundesministeriums für Wirtschaft und

Technologie (BMWi)” [Report of the Broadband Atlas End of 2012 on behalf of the Ministry of Economics and Technology], Part

1, 2012, p. 6, http://www.zukunft‐breitband.de/DE/Service/publikationen,did=559116.html.

Kai Lukas/Almuth Marx/Bernd Oliver Schöttler/Christoph Sudhues, “Abschlussbericht ‘Dienstequalität von Breitbandzugängen’

Studie im Auftrag der Bundesnetzagentur” [Final report ‘Service quality of broadband access’ Study on behalf of the Federal

Network Agency], April 9, 2013, p. 54, http://www.initiative‐

netzqualitaet.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Abschlussbericht_BNetzA_Studie_Dienstequalitaet_Breitbandzugaenge.pdf.

European Commission, Digital Agenda Scoreboard, http://bit.ly/1h9FS4d.

Die Telekom forciert VDSL‐Vectoring statt Glasfaser” [Fiber to the Neverland. DT pushes VDSL‐Vectoring instead of Fibre], c't

10/2013, April 29, 2013, pp. 18‐21, http://heise.de/‐1847272 ; Volker Briegleb, “Vectoring: Regulierer genehmigt VDSL‐Turbo”

[Vectoring: Regulator approves VDSL‐Turbo]. heise‐online, April 09, 2013, http://heise.de/‐1837933.

Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Technologie [Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology], “Monitoring‐Report

Digital Economy 2012”, November 2012, p. 52 http://bmwi.de/EN/Service/publications,did=542994.html.

Initiative D21/Huawei Technologies Deutschland (Ed.), Mobile Internetnutzung [mobile internet usage], February 2013, p. 8,

http://www.initiatived21.de/wp‐content/uploads/2013/02/studie_mobilesinternet_d21_huawei_2013.pdf.

Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Technologie, 2012, p. 66.

304

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