FRK re-elects Ralf Berger as Chair as fibre rollout faces challenges
September 18, 2026 11.04 Europe/London By Jörn Krieger

Ralf Berger has been re-elected as Chair of German cable operator association Fachverband Rundfunk- und BreitbandKommunikation (FRK), with several other members of the leadership also confirmed at its annual general meeting.

Frank Plückhahn was re-elected as deputy chairman and Franz Ziener as treasurer. Thomas Pester joins the executive board as an additional deputy chairman, replacing Daniel Niebuhr, who has stepped down from the board. The wider board comprises Rico Gerhardt, Franz-Josef Kukuk, Andreas Sack and Jens Einhardt.

The elections took place during the 29th FRK Broadband Congress in Leipzig, where the association focused on the challenges facing small and medium-sized cable operators, particularly the rollout of fibre networks in Germany.

A potential return of collective billing (Sammelinkasso) was highlighted as one of the positive developments for FRK members. Berger (pictured) and FRK legal adviser Tim Staupendahl reported on the recent oral hearing at the Federal Constitutional Court concerning the special termination right under the Telecommunications Act and the abolition of the possibility for landlords to pass cable TV costs on to tenants through service charges.

FRK believes the court could overturn the relevant provisions, potentially clearing the way for a return to collective billing. “That would be an enormous reduction in bureaucracy for both our members and the housing industry,” said Berger. He added that many housing companies supported the reintroduction of the system.

Negotiations with collecting society Corint Media are also close to completion. “We are very satisfied with the outcome of the negotiations,” said Berger. “Equal treatment with other associations was at the centre of the discussions. Nevertheless, we were able to secure points that are important to our members.”

The congress also addressed the changing economics of fibre deployment, with presentations covering artificial intelligence, customer management, network planning and infrastructure modernisation. The programme included solutions aimed at shortening the time between building fibre connections and generating revenue.

Tim Brauckmüller, Managing Director of aconium, which acts as project manager for the federal broadband funding programme, presented measures aimed at simplifying and reducing bureaucracy in the funding process.

According to Berger, the association has received positive feedback from exhibitors and visitors and now turns its attention to next year’s 30th Broadband Congress, scheduled for 15-16 September 2027 in Leipzig.