4 A. Basic principles of our digital policy Something that, until quite recently, seemed to belong to the realm of futuristic science fiction is now an integral part of daily life in Germany – anyone in virtually any location can now communicate electronically, retrieve information, purchase products and services on the Internet or do training courses online. Our home, learning and working environments are all becoming increasingly digitally networked. Digitisation also facilitates the provision of medical care, for example, by making x-rays and medical records more readily available to consulting physicians or enabling specialists to assist with difficult surgical procedures “live” from any location in the world. This type of strategic networking will improve the way that illnesses are diagnosed and treated. In this way, telemedicine will, in future, support first-class medical care in all parts of Germany, in particular in rural areas. Increasing digitisation is also making it easier to reconcile family and working life, and soon we will even be able to choose whether we want to drive our cars or have them drive themselves. However, digital systems are capable of much more. They control our power supply systems, enhance the use of renewable energies, and make our vehicles more environmentally compatible. We will only be able to rise to the challenges presented by new data streams if we can ensure that the essential infrastructure is in place across the board. Our citizens and our enterprises must be able to access the Internet via fixed and mobile networks. In addition, more powerful networks are required to cope with increasing communication between computers and an increasingly automated exchange of data. To fully exploit this potential, we must ensure that network performance is continually improved, and that Germany takes the international lead in this regard. It is our aim that bandwidths of at least 50 Mbit/s will be available for use nationwide by 2018. The Federal Government will see to it that all necessary conditions are in place to make this a reality. Against the backdrop of our increasingly mobile society and the general expectation that sophisticated services should be accessible from any location, we will also put in place the necessary resources to expand mobile Internet services. The digital transformation has become a central challenge for industry, science, society and policymakers. All parties involved must share the mutual goal of ensuring that Germany retains and continues to extend its autonomy and ability to take action in the area of information and telecommunications technology. We will also ensure that our foreign policy gives due regard to maintaining our technological sovereignty in key areas. Digitisation offers tremendous opportunities and potential for synergies to develop. Policymakers therefore must actively support this structural change and adopt a framework in which we can all live, learn, work and do business in the digital world, and in which everyone can participate in the digital transformation. The Federal Government wants the Digital Agenda to play a role in shaping the digital transformation. We will put new regulations in place wherever necessary. These will be essential, as digitisation and the associated internationalisation that will ensue will change the circumstances of each and every person in our society. While it is our duty to ensure that no obstacles stand in the way of new developments, we must also take steps to counteract undesirable developments. This applies in particular to issues relating to data protection and individuals’ rights to control the use of their own data (“informational self-determination”), the protection of intellectual property, consumer protection, the protection of minors in the media, and the protection of computers and data. We will devote particular attention to ensuring undistorted competition between companies, further reducing barriers to market entry, and, above all, countering abuses of dominant market position. One key element of these efforts will be to ensure that providers based in non-EU countries are subject to the same regulatory requirements as providers from EU countries in relation to business activities conducted here. If necessary, we will intervene in a facilitative and supportive capacity to ensure that Germany can successfully compete on the global stage for technological developments and innovative business start-ups. The Digital Agenda will help to unite the strengths of all parties involved and will facilitate a more efficient use of resources, thereby enabling our nation and its people to reap the maximum benefits of digitisation. We want the Digital Agenda to set Germany on course to play a leading role in ensuring that the progressive digitisation of our daily lives, and of the worlds of learning, work and business is achieved in a systematic, socially acceptable, responsible and safe manner.