A group representing internet service providers across Europe said on Tuesday that a proposal to make Big Tech companies pay towards telecom operators’ network costs could create systemic weakness in critical infrastructure.
Telecom operators have been pushing the European Union to implement new laws that would see US tech firms like Alphabet’s Google, Meta’s Facebook and Netflix bear some of the costs of Europe’s telecoms network, arguing that they drive much of the region’s internet traffic.
In September, European Commission’s industry chief Thierry Breton said he would launch a consultation on so-called “fair share” payments in early 2023, before proposing legislation.
Now, the European Internet Exchange Association (Euro-IX) said the proposals risked reducing the quality of service for internet users across Europe, and could “accidentally create new systemic weaknesses” in critical infrastructure, in a letter addressed to the European Commission’s industry chief Thierry Breton and the Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager.
