PARIS: The European Union executive will launch a consultation on whether tech giants should bear part of the costs of Europe’s telecommunications network by the end of the first quarter of 2023, the chief said on Friday. of European industry Thierry Breton.
European telecom operators have long lobbied for a financial contribution from US tech firms such as Alphabet’s Google, Meta’s Facebook and Netflix, saying they use up a lot of internet traffic.
“We must also review whether the regulations are adapted with the ‘GAFA’ (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon) for example, which use the bandwidth and the telecom operator,” Breton told reporters, speaking in French. .
GAFA is the French acronym for the largest American technology companies, including Netflix.
Breton said this particular issue, or the potential so-called “fair share” of US tech companies in funding Europe’s telecommunications and internet infrastructure, will be part of a wider consultation.