CENTR supports the Internet Society (ISOC) and other organisations and individuals within civil society, technical community, academia and consumer protection in the call to preserve a fundamental net neutrality principle in any EU legislative and policy discussions on the future of networks.
Together with ISOC and other undersigned organisations and individuals we urge the Commissioner-designate for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy Henna Virkkunen to put to rest harmful proposals that risk to fundamentally alter the internet’s networking model, namely within the so-called “fair-share”, “cost-sharing”, “network fees” and “sender pays” initiative.
The proposals around mandated payments to the telecommunications operators providing internet access service include a vast body of evidence and stakeholder input opposing such measures due to their risks to the universality of the internet, increased consumers harm, and competition distortion.
As a result, and as indicated in CENTR Principles for the Next Digital Decade, we strongly oppose any legislative and policy initiatives that ignore comprehensive and publicly available evidential basis, and are driven by considerations that are not put under public scrutiny.
We hope that the Commissioner-designate Henna Virkkunen will reconfirm Europe’s global leadership to promote an open internet for everyone, by rejecting harmful “network fees” initiatives in the upcoming Digital Networks Act.
You can read the full letter here.
