Public petition n°4019

Petitioner: Oleksandr Borysov

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In Luxembourg, the early termination of a standard fibre internet contract at €50/month currently triggers penalties of up to €1,200, calculated as a percentage of the remaining monthly payments under the initial 24-month commitment. This petition requests that Luxembourg law limit internet contract commitments at 6 months and regulate early termination fees.

Under current Luxembourg law, consumers who subscribe to a fixed-term fibre internet contract commit to a minimum 24-month term. Early termination triggers penalties calculated as a percentage of all remaining monthly payments - up to the full value of the contract. These penalties apply regardless of the reason for cancellation: poor service quality, relocation to an area without coverage, financial hardship, or simply finding a better offer. The consumer bears all risk; the provider bears none. The main fibre operators in Luxembourg have all adopted the same maximum 24-month commitment period permitted by law despite being presented as commercial competitors. Moreover, since the national fibre infrastructure is largely shared - alternative operators leasing access to the same network - competition on contractual terms remains limited. The only operator with a distinct cable infrastructure which operates coaxial cable offers contracts without any minimum commitment, which demonstrates that this model is commercially viable on the Luxembourg market. European framework and comparison with other Member States The European Electronic Communications Code (Directive 2018/1972, Article 105) sets 24 months as the maximum authorised duration - it is not a recommended standard. Member States may set a shorter cap under national law. Several Member States have used this flexibility. Denmark, for example, has adopted a 6-month cap for residential electronic communications contracts. Other countries neighbouring Luxembourg have markets where no-commitment offers have become the commercial norm. The request Amend Luxembourg's telecommunications law to set a maximum commitment period of 6 months for residential internet contracts. Require that any early termination fee be capped at the provider's actual documented costs.