Brussels, BELGIUM – The European Commission’s Digital Networks Act (DNA), proposed today, introduces unnecessary mechanisms that would destabilise Europe’s thriving internet ecosystem and undermine EU connectivity goals, the digital sector warns.
Moreover, the DNA employs vague language that risks inappropriately subjecting content delivery networks (CDNs), cloud computing services, and private networks to the same rules as legacy telecom network operators.
The Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA Europe) emphasises that the so-called ‘voluntary conciliation’ procedure amounts to regulation for regulation’s sake. Cooperation between online service providers and telecom operators is already a market reality, making this new framework redundant.
Instead, the mechanism leaves the door open for legislative amendments or rulings by national regulatory authorities (NRAs) that could turn it into a binding IP dispute-resolution system, effectively resurrecting the widely rejected network fees. Such a shift will allow dominant telcos to extract unjustified revenues from popular online services. It harms consumers, undermines net neutrality, and negatively impacts the media and cloud sectors.
CCIA Europe also stresses that the apparent new obligations imposed on CDNs, cloud, and private networks constitute a clear case of regulatory overreach. This intervention is unjustified, as these services are fundamentally different from traditional telecom operators, and will have detrimental consequences for the wider internet ecosystem.
Applying ill-fitting telco rules to other sectors goes against the EU’s simplification agenda and will directly harm EU competitiveness. The extra complexity will deter investment and slow the uptake of critical technologies, such as cloud, that are essential for Europe’s digital transition.
The following can be attributed to CCIA Europe’s Senior Policy Manager Connectivity and Competition, Maria Teresa Stecher:
“This is not a ‘voluntary conciliation’ procedure, but one that will create new disputes. It risks harming every part of Europe’s connectivity ecosystem. We are deeply concerned by the proposal’s ambiguous language. The ecosystem is functioning well, yet this unnecessary mechanism has been introduced, clearly opening the door to network usage fees.”
“The DNA could have been a real opportunity to simplify EU rules and boost competitiveness. Instead, the Commission now risks doing the opposite – favouring the interests of outdated telecom monopolies over European consumers, innovative online services, and better connectivity. This is not simplification, it is a step backwards.”
