In Europe, there is a battle between Google and the continent’s major telecom companies as the European Commission forces Big Tech to fund companies’ network costs.
European telecommunications giants such as Orange, Deutsche Telekom and Telefonica have argued that Google is “free” on their networks and should pay their fair share, but Google disagreed.
Matt Brittin, head of business and operations at Google EMEA, said the idea is outdated and would increase costs for consumers, adding that Google has already invested millions in internet infrastructure.
via Reuters:
“The sender pays application is not a new idea and will change many of the principles of the open internet,” he said at a conference hosted by the telecommunications lobby group ETNO.
Citing a report by the pan-European consumer group BEUC that summarizes such concerns, Brittin said it “could have a negative impact on consumers, especially when prices are rising.”
YouTube owner said that Google is doing its part to make it better for telecom service providers by sending 99% of the traffic and investing millions of euros.
Brittin’s comments came as the European Commission, the governing body of the European Union, received feedback from telecom and technology companies on whether to change the status quo in network costs.
The debate closely resembles the long-running contentious struggle over Title II provisions among US telecommunications providers, where Democrats support a policy of “net neutrality”.
As in the current situation in the EU, the debate is on whether telecommunications companies should be allowed to charge tech giants like Google for network infrastructure costs, and both sides of the dispute argue that the other side’s preferred outcome will increase costs for consumers.
Source: Breitbart
