A group of 34 NGOs from 17 countries have warned that a decision from the EU to force tech companies Google, Meta and Netflix to make financial contributions to the cost of building and running mobile and broadband networks would threaten the principles of an open Internet.
The EU has long defended the importance of net neutrality laws that forbid service providers from prioritising certain applications beyond standard traffic management measures and from charging content providers for additional fees for the preferential treatment.
However, last month, Europe's digital chief Margrethe Vestager suggested a possible shift in policy that will ensure Big Tech firms contribute to the cost of building 5G and fibre infrastructure - something for which telecoms operators have long been lobbying.
The open letter criticising the decision was addressed to Vestager and signed by EU industry chief Thierry Breton, as well as organisations including European Digital...