A group of national European telecommunication regulators refused to support the initiative to force technological giants to invest in infrastructure projects in the region, simply saying that they do not want to oblige large IT companies to invest in the development of communication networks.
The findings of the Committee of European Electronic Communications Regulators do not coincide with the European Commission's initiative, which tends to require Internet platforms to finance the development of digital infrastructure, including 5G networks, as the flow services place a considerable strain on the communication lines.
In the meantime, the telecommunications industry believes that Google, Netflix, Meta*, Amazon, Microsoft and Apple should provide financing for the "fair share" of telecommunications infrastructure, as their services are now generating more than half of Internet traffic; human rights defenders, on the other hand, fear that if technogiants invest in the construction of networks, they will enter into contracts with their owners to give preferential treatment to the traffic of these services, thereby undermining the principle of network neutrality.
BEREC also noted that the Internet had already demonstrated its resilience to changes in traffic patterns in the past, so the industry's initiative on external financing for infrastructure development .TNO Lobbist Group, representing the interests of Deutsche Telekom, Orange Group, Telefonica and other European operators, identified the statement of BEREC as inconsistent with current realities and announced its intention to submit its own report to the Euro Commission.
The European Commission for Internal Market Affairs, Thierry Breton, stated that the EU would deal with the issue in detail in early 2023.
* Listed on the list of voluntary associations and religious organizations in respect of which the court has taken a legally enforceable decision to abolish or prohibit activities on the grounds provided for in Federal Act No. 114-FZ of 25 July 2002 on countering extremist activities.