DOT Europe welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the European Commission exploratory
consultation on the future of the electronic communications sector and its infrastructure. Our
members remain committed to supporting Europe’s Digital Decade efforts and want to play their part
in supporting Europe’s digital transformation. Connectivity targets are of critical importance in this
regard, and we appreciate that the European Commission is taking a holistic approach to achieve
them.
That said, we also believe that the questions posed in this consultation are not based on a solid
premise. Rather than focusing on investigating the rationale and need for a regulatory intervention,
many questions seem to draw certain assumptions:
- that there are investment gaps in network infrastructure;
- that the volume of data flows can only grow exponentially; and
- that this comes with increased costs, rather than opportunities for network infrastructure
owners.
These are not facts but issues that need to be further verified/ascertained by policy makers.
In this response to the exploratory consultation, we showcase that there is no compelling evidence to
support the introduction of a network fee; and elaborate on the negative effects such a move would
have for a range of actors: consumers, businesses (directly and indirectly), as well as the smooth
functioning of the Internet itself.
Read the full contribution here:DOT Europe response to exploratory consultation – FINAL
