A group that speaks for internet service providers throughout Europe warned on Tuesday that requiring Big Tech firms to contribute to telecom operators’ network costs could lead to systemic vulnerabilities in vital infrastructure.
Telecom companies have been pressuring the European Union to enact new regulations that would make US tech companies like Alphabet’s Google, Facebook, and Netflix pay a portion of the costs of the continent’s telecoms network. They claim that these companies are responsible for the majority of the region’s internet traffic.
Thierry Breton, the industry commissioner for the European Commission, announced in September that he would hold a consultation on so-called “fair share” payments in the beginning of 2023 before putting forward legislation.
According to Bijal Sanghani, general director of Euro-IX, “the internet is a complex ecosystem, and it is policy-makers who are ultimately responsible for systemic repercussions coming from policy choices.”
For people in Europe, Sanghani continued, legislators shouldn’t put “administrative rules [above] technical requirements or a high-quality internet.”
The so-called “traffic tax,” according to detractors of the proposed SPNP (Sending Party Network Pays) model, might force content-driven platforms like Facebook and other social media platforms to route their services through ISPs (internet service providers) outside of the EU, they have warned.
Users in Europe may suffer as a result of platforms potentially reducing quality and security to avoid paying fees.
Critics said that telecom corporations already received payment from their own clients in a statement signed by 34 nongovernmental organisations from 17 different countries, and they accused them of pressing for traffic usage fees because “they just want to get paid twice for the same service.”
The European Commission could not be reached for comment right away.