Civil society: New Digital Commissioner should drop EU data toll
CCC and other organizations are calling on the next Digital Commissioner, Henna Virkkunen, to finally cancel Big Tech's contribution to the costs of networks.
Element of the Paul-Henri-Spaak-Building of the European Parliament in Brussels
(Image: PP Photos/Shutterstock.com)
On November 12, the EU Parliament will put Commissioner-designate for Digital Affairs Henna Virkkunen through her paces as the last candidate for the new Commission. Several civil society organizations such as the Internet Society, the Chaos Computer Club (CCC), the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), Epicenter.works and European Digital Rights (EDRi) are calling on the Finn in advance to take a clear stance against plans to introduce a data toll for internet giants.
In the past, the EU Commission and some countries have pushed for Big Tech to share the costs of network expansion, which was a particular hobbyhorse of former Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton. "During the term of office of the last Commission, we have seen various attempts" to introduce compulsory payments from content and application providers to network operators, the organizations write in an open letter to Virkkunen. This debate has been conducted under various names such as "fair share", "network fees" or "sender pays".
EU should support open internet for all
The latest initiative is linked to the call for a dispute resolution mechanism on the market for network interconnection, despite the negative consultation results. All these drafts for an infrastructure levy basically represent the same concept, also rejected by EU regulators: "Changing the network model of the internet in favor of a handful of large telecom operators." We consider such proposals "not only unnecessary, but also extremely harmful for the global Internet and its users", write the civil society organizations.
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The reorganization of the EU Commission offers Europe the opportunity to end this discussion and "reaffirm support for important principles such as net neutrality". There is an appeal to the future Commission to also reconsider the key points for a Digital Networks Act (DNA). All relevant recommendations must be "based on evidence and stakeholder input". It is time "for Europe to use its global leadership role to promote an open internet for all".
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