Government proposes national legislation to complement the EU Gigabit Infrastructure Act

On 21 August 2025, the Government submitted to Parliament its proposal for legislation supplementing the EU Gigabit Infrastructure Act. The aim of the Gigabit Infrastructure Act is to speed up the construction of very high capacity networks. It is the aim of the European Union that, by 2030, all EU households be covered by a gigabit network.

Under the government proposal, a new act is to be enacted to supplement and specify the EU Regulation on measures to reduce the costs of deploying gigabit electronic communications networks. In addition, the Finnish Act on Shared Construction and Use of Network Infrastructure is proposed to be repealed.

The Gigabit Infrastructure Act provides means to facilitate shared use and construction, such as a single information point and changes to the permit process. The Act requires that permits and rights of way needed for the network infrastructure construction should be made available for application via a single information point.

Single information point and tacit approval procedure to ease the permit process

The directly applicable obligations of the Gigabit Infrastructure Act apply to, for example, permit procedure streamlining and electrification. A single service point should be established in Finland to allow electronic applications for permits and rights of way for constructing a physical network infrastructure.

In accordance with the Act, a tacit approval procedure would be introduced to streamline the permit process. If the authorities did not make a decision on the permit application within four months, the permit would be considered granted.

Needs of rural areas and critical infrastructure to be taken into account in national legislation

The government proposal suggests that the national flexibility allowed for Member States be used in many respects. These would include the needs of rural areas and smaller municipalities, projects concerning critical infrastructure and certain simplified permit procedures.

In the new act, the shared use obligation would be extended to private commercial buildings located in rural areas, and the shared construction obligation to other projects than just those with public funding. Municipalities with up to 3,500 inhabitants would be granted a 12-month transition period for making minimum data available through a single information point.

In addition, the deadline for advance notifications to the single contact point would be extended and the permit procedure would not be applied to repair and maintenance work with minor impacts.

Any obligations concerning the construction of internal networks would not apply to detached houses, holiday houses, or buildings where fibre-wiring would clearly be unreasonable considering the intended use of the building and the costs to be incurred. Not all obligations laid down in the Act would be applied to national critical infrastructure. Critical infrastructure covers, for example, the most important networks and their physical infrastructure needed in providing healthcare services essential for security of supply.

The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom would supervise compliance with the obligations laid down in the Gigabit Infrastructure Act and serve as a dispute settlement body.

What’s next?

Parliament will begin to process the proposal with a referral debate in a plenary session. The proposal will then proceed to the committee. After the committee submits its report, the process will continue in a plenary session.

The new national act is to enter into force in November 2025, when the main parts of the obligations of the EU Act will also begin to apply.

Inquiries:

Sofia Lindbäck, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 29 534 2165, [email protected]

Sami Makkonen, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 29 534 2019, [email protected]