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Klaus Müller: After a head of authority close to the CDU, the Federal Network Agency will most likely get a Green
Photo: Christophe Gateau / dpa
A change of leadership is imminent at the head of the Federal Network Agency: Consumer advocate Klaus Müller will most likely become President of the regulatory authority.
He will propose the 50-year-old for election, said the chairman of the advisory board, Lower Saxony's Energy Minister Olaf Lies (SPD).
This is planned for February, after which the advisory board's proposal will go to the federal government, which will then name it.
It is therefore already considered fairly certain that the green miller will take the top position in March.
So far he has been on the board of directors of the Federation of German Consumer Organizations.
From 2000 to 2005, Müller was Minister for the Environment and Agriculture in Schleswig-Holstein.
SPD politician Lies said that he had experienced Müller as "a clever and excellently networked person".
He knows the political arena very well and knows how to run an authority.
»He is the right candidate to achieve both goals: the implementation of climate protection and energy transition as well as digitization.«
Müller spoke up on Twitter.
After 16 years of consumer protection, he is happy about the nomination to contribute to climate protection, security of supply, digitization, competition and cost efficiency in a new role - in the areas of energy, telecommunications, post and rail.
Jochen Homann, who is now 69, has headed the authority since 2012 and will soon be retiring.
Homann is considered to be close to the Union, and his successor will probably be a Green.
The network agency is subordinate to the Federal Ministry of Economics, headed by Green Robert Habeck, for energy and postal issues, while the agency is subordinate to the FDP-led Federal Ministry of Transport for telecommunications and railway issues.
Habeck welcomed the nomination.
"Klaus Müller is a staunch supporter of the energy transition, who will push the expansion of renewable energies and the grids with great commitment and a clear course," said the Economics Minister.
The Federal Network Agency is an important player in accelerating planning processes and paying attention to CO₂ and cost efficiency.
The Federal Network Agency is an influential regulatory authority that, among other things, makes groundbreaking decisions on power lines and gas pipelines.
It has almost 3,000 employees at around 50 locations, and almost a thousand people work at the Bonn headquarters.
The network agency is also responsible for the allocation of mobile radio frequencies.
For consumers, it plays a major role.
You can complain to the authorities about misplaced packages or lost letters - the postal service providers have to participate in the subsequent arbitration procedure.
Critical comments about unauthorized advertising calls are also received by the authority, which then imposes fines if necessary.
When it comes to the Internet, the network agency should also strengthen consumers.
As part of a right to fast internet, she recently proposed a lower limit of at least 10 megabits per second in the fixed network.
fdi/dpa
