German town runs a state-funded citizens' workshop to decide where a mobile phone mast should go

diagnose:funk reports: In Altenriet in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, a dispute over where, and whether, to build a mobile phone mast was handled through a formal citizens' participation process rather than a council decision. The state's dialogue-based participation service ran the roughly four-month process from April to July 2026, with up to 30,000 euros of state funding. From 1,000 invited residents, 25 randomly selected citizens worked through seven themes, from law and health to environment and siting, and their recommendations are now before the council. diagnose:funk, reproducing a report by former broadcast editor Bert Hauser, presents the case as evidence that municipalities have a legal right to help plan mast sites.

"For the first time there was an official citizens' participation process, financially supported by the state of Baden-Württemberg, in the search for a new site for a mobile phone mast."

[original: "Erstmals gab es bei der Suche nach einem neuen Standort für einen Mobilfunkmast eine vom Land Baden-Württemberg finanziell unterstützte offizielle Bürgerbeteiligung."]

— Bert Hauser, via diagnose:funk

"The procedure lasted about four months (April to July 2026), and the state provided up to 30,000 euros for it."

[original: "Das Verfahren dauerte etwa vier Monate (April bis Juli 2026), das Land hat dafür bis zu 30 000 Euro bereitgestellt."]

— Bert Hauser, via diagnose:funk

"He stressed that his initiative does not reject mobile communications in principle, but that what matters is taking precaution when choosing a site for a transmitter mast."

[original: "Er betonte, dass seine Initiative den Mobilfunk nicht grundsätzlich ablehne, es komme aber darauf an, bei der Standortwahl für einen Sendemast Vorsorge zu treffen."]

— Bert Hauser, via diagnose:funk

German town runs a state-funded citizens' workshop to decide where a mobile phone mast should go

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