A group of 84 associations – including the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), Euroconsumers and European Digital Rights (EDRi) – reject the potential introduction of a mandatory fee to help infrastructure build-out in upcoming telecom proposals, in a joint statement published on Wednesday.
The Digital Networks Act (DNA), legislation aimed at overhauling telecom rules to improve connectivity, is set to be presented by the European Commission in December.
Companies say they regret that this “fair share” mechanism – where content providers would be required to pay telecom operators fees for delivering traffic – is “still being actively considered” in the ongoing discussions, as it endangers the principle of net neutrality, they claim.
“Measures introducing interconnection charges would risk driving up costs, limiting choice and open access to information, undermining the affordability, quality, and diversity of digital products and services,” the letter says.
The public consultation, asking companies for feedback, ends this Friday and largely builds on a White Paper published in February of last year.
It spells out the different policy options that could be included in an overhaul of the existing telecom regulation, as well as new initiatives including spectrum management and sustainability targets.
The plan, heavily lobbied by the telecom industry when former EU Tech Commissioner Thierry Breton started working on the rules, sought to charge online platforms and other network users for the build-out of telecom infrastructure. It has been watered down since.
Options could include broadening the scope of today's EU telecoms rules, which safeguard network access and competition, to “ensure a regulatory playing field” with equal rights for all companies active in the sector.
Connect Europe, an association representing telecom providers, called in a publication earlier this month for increased investment in the telecoms sector.
