Brussels, BELGIUM – A broad coalition sent a joint statement in support of the Open Internet to the 27 EU Telecom Ministers and their ambassadors earlier today.
Aside from the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA Europe), signatories include national tech associations (from France, Ireland, and Poland), EU trade associations, and France’s largest internet exchange point, among others.
The signatories stress they stand together fully opposed to any and all of the so-called “fair share” demands by some telecom operators, also known as network usage fees.
Monday and Tuesday next week, national ministers will gather in León for an informal Telecoms Council. Ahead of that meeting, the coalition calls on EU Member States to provide unambiguous political guidance to the Commission to reject network fees once and for all.
The following can be attributed to CCIA Europe’s Head of Office, Daniel Friedlaender:
“Telecom Ministers need to look at the evidence and listen to all stakeholders. It’s crucial they make it crystal clear to the European Commission that these misguided ‘(un)fair share’ ideas should be rejected once and for all.”
“Making Europeans pay multiple times for the same internet traffic is one of the least popular EU initiatives ever floated in Brussels, and should never have even been considered in the first place. It is time for Europe to move on.”