📋 Tender Overview
The Transport and Telecommunications Commission of the Council of States (CTT-E) decided, unanimously, to take up the bill on the encouragement of broadband.It thus supports the establishment of an incentive program intended for the extension of high-speed networks.
ContentThe committee examined for the first time the Federal Councils draft relating to the law on the encouragement of broadband (26.066).This provides for an incentive program, limited in time, intended for the extension of high-speed networks based on optical fiber or radiocommunication, in order to improve access to high-speed Internet in sparsely populated areas.The CTT-E first found out about the project as part of a hearing aimed at gathering the points of view of cantons, municipalities and various professional associations.She then led the introductory debate and unanimously decided to propose to her council to enter into the project.Faced with increasing digitalization, the CTT-E considers that the extension of high-speed networks is essential to guarantee equal opportunities between all regions of Switzerland and to ensure access to the technologies of the future.This is why it supports the establishment of an incentive program aimed at stimulating investments and filling the profitability gap in projects implemented in sparsely populated areas.The committee will begin article-by-article discussion of the draft at its next meeting. The committee examines questions of media policy The committee has formed a clear idea of the general developments taking place in terms of media policy and has held hearings with key people in the sector.It then examined the following objects on the basis of the information acquired. The committee considered motion Schaffner 25.3363 (Support for online media regardless of distribution channel and business model), which aims to develop a new law, of limited duration initially, on support for online media in order to encourage them to create journalistic content and to strengthen the diversity of titles and offering.The committee directed the administration to make additional clarifications;it will carry out a new examination of the motion at one of its next meetings. The National Council having followed up on the parliamentary initiative Matter 24.466 (Equal treatment between private broadcasters and private broadcasters which operate online), the CTT-E carried out a new examination of the initiative.By 6 votes to 4 and 2 abstentions, she decided to reverse her initial decision and support the decision of the National Council to follow up on the initiative.The committee considers that the current ban on radio and television stations without a share of the license fee to carry out political advertising is no longer justified and is therefore in favor of lifting this ban for private radio and television stations.On the other hand, it is of the opinion that the ban on political advertising should continue to apply to radio and television stations financed by license fees. Other objects and decisions The report of the Federal Financial Control (CDF) on the audit of the Transport 45 project was presented to the committee, which then held a discussion with representatives of the CDF and the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC).CTT-E also looked once again at the draft federal law on mobility data infrastructure (25.049).It has entrusted several clarification mandates to the administration and will examine this subject again at a future meeting. The committee also inquired about the new federal law on space operations (26.032), the examination of which falls within the competence of the science, education and culture committees. Finally, the committee inquired, on the basis of the 2026 annual progress report, about the progress of implementationof the law on equality for disabled people in stations and at railway stops.
