Apple and other Big Tech companies which account for more than 5% of a telecoms provider’s peak average internet traffic should help fund the rollout of 5G and broadband across Europe, according to a draft proposal by the telecoms industry.
The proposal is part of feedback to the European Commission which launched a consultation into the issue in February. The deadline for responses is Friday.
Alphabet’s Google, Apple, Facebook-owner Meta, Amazon, Netflix and TikTok would most likely be hit with fees, according to industry estimates.
Google, Apple, Meta, Netflix, Amazon and Microsoft together account for more than half of data internet traffic.
The document, which was reviewed by Reuters and has not been published, was compiled by telecoms lobbying groups GSMA and ETNO. They represent 160 operators in Europe, including Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefonica, and Telecom Italia.
MacDailyNews Take: Telecoms should pay the costs to run their businesses themselves.
Ultimately, the end user pays, regardless.
Either telecom companies raise rates to pay for their infrastructure costs or Netflix et al. raise rates to pay for the EU’s infrastructure tax.
If the latter comes to pass, all the EU will be here is what the EU (and Big Government anywhere) usually is: a meddling middleman moving costs around, increasing them with red tape, and sprinkling unintended consequences on top. – MacDailyNews, January 31, 2023
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