Housekeepers send Bundestag fax machines into retirement
In the private lives of many people, the fax has not played a role for many years. The situation is different in business and politics, but now the fax machine is going down the drain after all: the budget holders have given the Bundestag administration a reprieve until the summer.
The Budget Committee wants to ban all fax machines from the Bundestag. In what is known as a "resolution on measures", the budget holders are calling on the Bundestag administration to abolish all fax machines in the Bundestag's buildings by June 30, 2024 at the latest in their meeting to adjust the 2024 budget. All work processes and activities for which these devices are still used should be completely digitalized.
"I am delighted that the Budget Committee has decided to retire all existing fax machines at our suggestion," explained FDP politician Torsten Herbst on X. "It's high time."
A representative survey by the digital association Bitkom revealed just last May that 82% of companies in Germany still use a fax machine to transmit documents at least occasionally. However, a comparison with previous years also showed that the number of users is steadily declining: a third of companies stated that they still use faxes frequently or very frequently. In 2022, this figure was still 40 percent, and in 2018 it was 62 percent of companies.
"Once a communication channel has become established, it takes time for it to be completely replaced - even if there are now much more convenient and secure communication channels," Bitkom commented on the result. This is because faxes have long since disappeared from many people's private lives in particular. However, the high level of traceability of delivery is particularly valued in business communication.
During the coronavirus pandemic, it also became clear that many medical practices are still clinging to the fax machine. Also in a Bitkom survey in 2021, one in five GPs (22) stated that fax was still their preferred means of communication. Only one in twenty doctors communicates mainly via email with other practices, pharmacies or their patients.
With the Budget Committee's resolution, the German Bundestag aims to completely digitize its operations, aiming to retire all fax machines by June 30, 2024. This digitization effort, part of the "traffic light coalition" government's agenda, aligns with the trend observed in 82% of German companies who still use fax machines occasionally, although the usage is decreasing yearly.
Source: www.ntv.de
