Draft law amending the Construction Code and other laws (655 SE) – first reading
Session: 15th Riigikogu, 6th sitting, plenary session
Date: 2025-09-10 22:53
Participating Politicians:
Total Speeches: 55
Membership: 15
Agenda Duration: 39m
AI Summaries: 55/55 Speeches (100.0%)
Analysis: Structured Analysis
Politicians Speaking Time
Politicians
Analysis
Summary
The agenda item was the first reading of Draft Act 655, initiated by the Government of the Republic, concerning amendments to the Building Code and other acts. The purpose of the draft act is to improve Estonia’s digital connectivity, lower the price of communication services, and simplify infrastructure development. Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa-Ly Pakosta introduced the draft, highlighting three main changes: the co-construction of communication infrastructure alongside other utility routes to prevent the repeated excavation of streets; new requirements for the diameter of cable conduits, which must accommodate the cables of multiple operators, ensuring competition and lower prices for consumers; and the obligation for the state and local governments to allow mobile communication antennas to be installed on their buildings to improve coverage in sparsely populated areas. The Building Register will also begin serving as a single information point.
The debate was critical, particularly from Aivar Kokk, a member of the Isamaa faction, who called the minister's presentation "sweet talk" and questioned the economic logic of the draft act. Kokk disputed the claim that services would become cheaper, arguing that the conduit owner determines the rental price, and repeatedly asked for the exact diameter of the cable conduit. Minister Pakosta explained that the conduit diameter requirements (which must accommodate the cables of at least five operators) are regulated by a regulation, and the Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority (TTJA) carries out cost-based supervision over rental prices. Urve Tiidus, representing the Economic Affairs Committee, confirmed the committee's decision to propose concluding the first reading.
Decisions Made 2
On the proposal of the lead committee (the Economic Affairs Committee), it was decided to conclude the first reading of Draft Bill 655.
The deadline for submitting amendments was set for September 24th at 17:15.
Most Active Speaker
Aivar Kokk, a member of the Isamaa faction, was the most active, raising several critical questions regarding the economic aspects of the bill and the ambiguity concerning the diameter of the cable conduit, as he deemed the minister's presentation overly optimistic. His position was oppositional (other).
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The fifth item on the agenda concerns the first reading of Draft Act 655, initiated by the Government, amending the Building Code and other legislation. Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa-Ly Pakosta will take the Riigikogu floor as the presenter.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar introduced the fifth item on the agenda, which was the first reading of Draft Act 655, initiated by the Government of the Republic, concerning the amendment of the Building Code and other acts, and invited Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa-Ly Pakosta to the podium for her presentation.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa-Ly Pakosta is introducing a bill that amends the Building Code. Its primary objective is to lower the prices of communication services and mobile packages for Estonian residents by improving competition and mobile coverage. This will be achieved through a requirement for co-building infrastructure to prevent the repeated digging up of streets, a mandate to install multi-operator supporting cable conduits in apartment buildings, and an obligation for local municipalities to provide locations for mobile masts, while simultaneously ensuring that communication cabling is present in new and majorly renovated buildings.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
The Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs, Liisa-Ly Pakosta, introduced a substantive draft bill aimed at improving the availability and competition of communication services in Estonia, thereby ensuring lower prices and better coverage for consumers. The main changes highlighted include the requirement to build communication and other infrastructure simultaneously (to avoid repeatedly digging up streets), the obligation to ensure space in cable conduits for multiple operators in apartment buildings to foster competition, and the duty of the state and local governments to permit the installation of mobile masts on their buildings for the purpose of improving coverage. Furthermore, in new buildings and those undergoing major renovation, communication cabling must extend all the way to the apartments.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
The draft legislation amends the Building Code so that the construction of communications infrastructure can be carried out jointly and the cables of multiple operators can fit into a single shared duct. This will result in lower prices for consumers through increased competition. It also improves mobile coverage through mandatory installations and the establishment of an infrastructure information point, and furthermore, it expands the TTJA’s supervisory powers to ensure compliance with the European Union’s gigabit infrastructure requirements.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Thanks were expressed during the address, it was noted that there were questions, and Aivar Kokk was invited to respond.
Aivar Kokk
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Aivar Kokk voiced his dissatisfaction with the draft bill, stating that he had expected a simple stipulation: that a conduit be installed along the state roads, allowing all internet and TV providers to lay their cables through it. He then asked who would bear the cost and how this arrangement would actually become affordable.
Aivar Kokk
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Aivar Kokk criticizes the draft law as unrealistic "fairytale fluff," stressing that under capitalism, the service provider, and no one else, must determine the price. He also points out the lack of a clear solution concerning the open-access pipeline planned along state roads. Furthermore, he demands clarity on who will cover the costs of equipment installed on private properties to ensure the service remains affordable.
Aivar Kokk
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Aivar Kokk dismisses the presented plan as vague "pie-in-the-sky talk," stressing that in a market economy (capitalism), the service provider, not the state, must determine the price. He criticizes the draft bill for lacking a clear solution for establishing a universal cable route along state roads intended for all operators. Furthermore, he demands answers regarding who will cover the actual costs and what the prices are for equipment installed on private property (e.g., chimneys).
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa-Ly Pakosta stresses that the requirements set by the state apply solely to the diameter of the cable duct, thereby fostering competition and resulting in more affordable services for consumers. Furthermore, she addresses three specific issues: the routing of the communication cable to allow access for all operators, the placement of communication cables along national roads, and the matter of covering antenna and mast costs, coupled with the necessity of clarifying the appeal submitted by ITL.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
Justice and Digital Minister Liisa-Ly Pakosta defended the draft bill, which mandates a standardized diameter for communication cable conduits, aiming to foster competition among operators and offer consumers cheaper services, emphasizing that this constitutes an important public good. She further confirmed that within Estonia's privatized communications landscape, private companies cover the costs of antenna installation according to their commercial viability (citing church towers as an example), while simultaneously supporting the telecommunications companies' request to clarify the draft bill regarding the coverage of costs specifically associated with the installation of active equipment, thereby preventing a requirement to finance unrelated construction work.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The speech is just a request to Peeter Ernits.
Peeter Ernits
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Peeter Ernits points out the problematic location of broadband network termination points in old houses and vacant areas. He then asks how wide the regulation governing "broad conduit" access should be under the current circumstances, and how many operators or cables can actually fit into that infrastructure.
Peeter Ernits
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Peeter Ernits criticized earlier broadband network construction projects where cables were laid in places with low efficiency (e.g., empty barns), and subsequently asked the presenter to clarify exactly how wide or capacious the so-called "wide throat" infrastructure stipulated in the current draft bill must be, and whether this criterion is based on the number of operators or the number of cables.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
That is a very good question, but we will provide the precise millimeter figure in writing later, because I probably have it noted down in this folder, and I can't tell you off the top of my head right now.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa-Ly Pakosta recognized the significance of the question, but as she was unable to state the precise number of millimeters off the top of her head, she promised to follow up with the exact figure in writing.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Toomas Kivimägi asks to give the floor to Aivar Kokk.
Aivar Kokk
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Aivar Kokk sharply criticizes the drafters of the current bill, claiming they have no understanding of business. He also questions whether the planned cabling project will actually result in lower service prices, since the cost of infrastructure investments (installing pipes) is determined by the investor, and telecom companies use unified price lists anyway. Consequently, he finds the situation confusing and illogical.
Aivar Kokk
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Aivar Kokk criticized the drafter of the bill, stating that they knew nothing about business, and highlighted the costs associated with laying cables, as well as the issue of uniform pricing among telecom companies.
Aivar Kokk
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Aivar Kokk sharply criticized the draft legislation, asserting that its author knows nothing about business. He also questioned whether the planned creation of fiber optic infrastructure and the sharing of investments would actually result in lower service prices, given that telecom companies maintain a unified pricing policy. Consequently, the entire plan is confusing and makes no sense.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Toomas Kivimägi thanks.
Aivar Kokk
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Aivar Kokk confirmed that although the idea itself is undoubtedly correct, he urgently needs clarification and concrete evidence regarding what actual positive changes will result from the plan.
Aivar Kokk
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Aivar Kokk emphasizes the need for clarity—clarity that demonstrates what is actually improving. He confirms that the idea is sound, but currently, it is unclear how it will be realized.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Toomas Kivimägi thanks Aivar.
Aivar Kokk
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Aivar Kokk raises the question of whether the pace of new housing construction is in proportion to the existing housing stock and the resulting need to establish additional new cable infrastructure.
Aivar Kokk
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Aivar Kokk is raising the question of how to balance the construction of new housing developments with the existing housing stock, stressing the need to evaluate exactly how much additional cable infrastructure this rapid growth will demand.
Aivar Kokk
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Aivar Kokk is asking how many additional houses will be built, how many houses currently exist today, and how many new cables are required.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
The Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs, Liisa-Ly Pakosta, explained that the draft legislation, which reduces costs for businesses and benefits consumers, addresses two primary issues. First, coordinated by the local municipality, communication cables must be installed in the same trench used for digging, for example, sewage pipes, in order to save costs. Second, communication cabling will become mandatory for both major renovations of apartment buildings and new constructions, ensuring that every apartment has a communication connection with adequate throughput.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa-Ly Pakosta explained that the bill, which upon adoption will reduce costs for businesses and improve consumer connectivity, solves two main problems: it mandates sharing excavation costs, allowing communication cables to be installed simultaneously with other utility works, and it requires the installation of communication cabling with sufficient capacity in all apartments during both major renovations and new construction projects, thereby avoiding expensive later modifications.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
The purpose of the draft bill is to reduce business costs and improve consumer service by coordinating the use of already excavated trenches for communication cables, and by ensuring the connectivity capability of all apartments during major renovations and new constructions.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Vice-Chairman Toomas Kivimägi concluded the previous debate, confirming that there were no further questions, and then gave the floor to Urve Tiidus, a member of the Economic Affairs Committee, to present the report of the lead committee.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The address thanks the audience and announces that attendees will have the opportunity to hear a presentation by Urve Tiidus, a member of the Economic Committee.
Urve Tiidus
Profiling Eesti Reformierakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Urve Tiidus provided an overview of the communications infrastructure bill discussed in the Economic Affairs Committee. The bill focused on easing regulations to promote the spread of fast internet, addressing, among other things, rules concerning the depth of cable installation, the automatic inclusion of communication conduits during road works, and the installation of masts closer to roads (referencing Nordic practice) and near local government buildings, emphasizing that the latter requires the agreement of the parties involved. The Committee unanimously decided to forward the bill to the plenary session agenda and conclude the first reading.
Urve Tiidus
Profiling Eesti Reformierakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Urve Tiidus reported on the Economic Affairs Committee meeting, which discussed the draft legislation concerning the establishment of communication networks. The discussion centered on relaxing requirements for cable installation depth, allowing communication masts to be placed closer to roads (citing Nordic practice), and installing antennas on local government (KOV) buildings to improve high-speed internet access in sparsely populated areas. She proposed that the first reading of the bill be concluded by consensus and forwarded to the plenary session agenda.
Urve Tiidus
Profiling Eesti Reformierakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Urve Tiidus stated that the draft bill, which was discussed on June 16th, concerns regulations for installing communication cables, the location of masts, the role of local governments, and EU guidelines intended to mitigate market failure and enhance the availability of high-speed internet in sparsely populated areas. Furthermore, it was decided to place the bill on the plenary session agenda and conclude the first reading on September 10th.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Vice-Chairman Toomas Kivimägi thanked the presenter for the clear report and, noting that questions nevertheless remained, immediately gave the floor to Peeter Ernits.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Vice-Chairman Toomas Kivimägi thanks the speaker for the very clear presentation and asks Peeter Ernits to pose one question.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Chairman Toomas Kivimägi thanked the presenter for the clear and thorough work, but then shifted the focus to questions, giving the floor to Peeter Ernits.
Peeter Ernits
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Peeter Ernits highlighted the fact that although everyone constantly talks about the width of the throat/lumen, the Minister was unable to answer that specific question, which led to the inquiry of whether this crucial dimension had even been discussed by the committee at all.
Peeter Ernits
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Peeter Ernits points out that the width of the bottleneck is being discussed all the time, but the Minister failed to answer how wide this bottleneck will actually be and whether that width has been discussed in the commission.
Urve Tiidus
Profiling Eesti Reformierakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
In densely populated areas, there are more consumers and businesses, and consequently, larger throat diameters are used, but the specific diameter value was not mentioned.
Urve Tiidus
Profiling Eesti Reformierakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Urve Tiidus stressed that while she couldn't provide the precise diameter measurement of the main conduit, its size is determined by the volume of consumers and population density. In more densely populated areas, the diameter is greater, adhering to the general physical principle that supply matches demand.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The speaker thanks the audience, informs them that there are no questions, and opens the debate, giving the floor to Aivar Kokk on behalf of the Isamaa faction.
Aivar Kokk
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Aivar Kokk criticizes the wording of the draft legislation and its impact on businesses, arguing that the primary goal is to stifle new housing development, but the actual benefits and the issues surrounding tenancy and property rights require thorough clarification.
Aivar Kokk
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Aivar Kokk sharply criticizes the proposed bill, which is intended to save money by requiring the installation of conduits in new buildings. He emphasizes that the lawmakers lack elementary technical knowledge (regarding the depths and diameters of utility routes) and that the mandatory renting of these conduits from the builder to communication companies will actually make the service significantly more expensive. Consequently, the wording of the draft bill and its stated economic objectives are completely inadequate, even though the original idea of infrastructure sharing is good in itself.
Aivar Kokk
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Aivar Kokk expresses deep concern over the draft legislation regarding the installation of conduits in new buildings, stressing that while the underlying idea is sound, the wording and the business aspects have not been properly thought through, particularly concerning the ownership of these conduits and the associated rental fees, which, in reality, will not reduce the cost of services. Furthermore, he criticizes the incompetence of the bill's drafters regarding technical details, such as the required excavation depths for different utility lines.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Toomas Kivimägi asks for three minutes to be added.
Aivar Kokk
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Aivar Kokk supports the idea that new constructions should be required to install a flexible protective tube, or conduit, for cables to enable competition, but emphasizes that the current draft bill has left unresolved crucial questions concerning the technical dimensions of the conduits, the rental price for competitors, and the mechanism for recovering the investment in a situation where the initial installer has incurred the cost, but the property owner chooses the service from a completely different provider.
Aivar Kokk
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
In his presentation, Aivar Kokk points out that while the idea of installing a cable through a single conduit is sound, the draft legislation remains unresolved because it fails to clarify who is responsible for installing and paying for the conduit, what the required conduit diameters and rental terms are, and how to address a situation where a competitor utilizes the conduit and the initial investment is not recouped.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Toomas Kivimägi announced that the minister also wished to speak, hoped the address would be brief, and granted the minister the floor.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Toomas Kivimägi announced that he had received notification of the Minister's desire to speak, granted him permission to do so, but expressed hope that, given the length of the preceding debates, the Minister's address would be brief.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa-Ly Pakosta utilized the opportunity for a rebuttal to affirm the support of communication service providers for the draft legislation. She clarified that the bill's most recent amendment addressed the covering of costs associated with the installation of state or local government (KOV) masts. Furthermore, she stressed that both the capacity requirements for cable conduits (which must accommodate the cables of at least five communication undertakings) and the regulation of rental prices are already governed by existing regulations and fall under the supervision of the TTJA, meaning the draft bill does not pertain to these specific issues.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa-Ly Pakosta stated that Estonian information technology and telecommunications companies have understood and supported the draft legislation. A clarification regarding mast installation was added on September 4th, ensuring that the state or local government units would not have to bear other costs during installation. The requirements for conduit diameter will be regulated by a decree and must accommodate the cables of at least five operators. The rental price is regulated, and the TTJA performs cost-based supervision over it; therefore, the draft bill does not concern this topic, as it has been regulated for a long time.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Toomas Kivimägi announced that the discussions had concluded and the first reading of Bill 655 was finished, and set the deadline for submitting amendments as September 24th at 5:15 p.m.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Toomas Kivimägi, thanking the Minister, closed the debate and announced that, upon the proposal of the leading committee, the first reading of Draft Act 655 had been concluded, setting the deadline for the submission of amendments as 17:15 on September 24 of the current year.