The idea that content providers should pay for use of telco networks is becoming a hot topic in Europe, stakeholders said. Major network operators unveiled a report in May suggesting that making over-the-top providers pay for use of the networks could bring socioeconomic benefits. EU regulators tentatively found no need for such compensation. The European Commission said it's in discussions with stakeholders on the "complex issue." The internet community fought back Thursday with its own analysis.
Dugie Standeford
Dugie Standeford, European Correspondent, Communications Daily and Privacy Daily, is a former lawyer. She joined Warren Communications News in 2000 to report on internet policy and regulation. In 2003 she moved to the U.K. and since then has covered European telecommunications issues. She previously covered the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration and intellectual property law matters. She has a degree in psychology from Duke University and a law degree from the University of Tulsa College of Law.
U.K. data protection law revisions shouldn't cause friction with either the U.S. or EU, speakers said at an Atlantic Council Europe Center webinar Tuesday. Despite recent political changes in Britain, revising the country's privacy law remains a priority, said Jenny Hall, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport deputy director. The government wants to champion cooperation with its international partners by improving on the EU general data protection regulation (GDPR), she said.
Europe's focus on the behavior of internet platforms advanced Thursday on several fronts. The European Parliament's lead committee endorsed a provisional agreement with governments on the Digital Services Act (DSA). The European Commission announced stricter rules for tech companies to fight disinformation. And European telecom regulators are examining the role Big Tech plays in internet connectivity issues and competition dynamics.
Unintended consequences of the general data protection regulation (GDPR) are blocking access to Whois domain name registration, and Congress should consider acting to fix the problem, Rep. Bob Latta, R-Ohio, said Thursday. Whois data is a "public lands record for the internet," but an overly broad interpretation of the EU GDPR is preventing law enforcement, security experts and cybersecurity investigators from getting at bad actors, he said in a recorded statement for a Coalition for a Secure and Transparent Internet webinar. Consumers are also feeling vulnerable online and need to know their privacy and security will be protected, said House Consumer Protection Subcommittee Chair Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill. Panelists also urged legislative action.
Security issues with open radio access networks (ORAN) will be overcome, mobile operators said in response to a critical report from the European Commission and European Union Agency for Cybersecurity earlier this month. It found several cybersecurity challenges associated with such 5G networks but also opportunities to boost ORAN security if certain conditions are met. Mobile network operators told us they recognize how crucial security is to ORAN's success and are addressing the risks. One telecom consultant urged the FCC and NTIA to pay attention to the findings. The O-RAN Alliance didn't comment.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine may not be a game-changer for digital cybersecurity policy, but it holds lessons for Europe, speakers said at a Wednesday Centre for European Policy Studies webinar on Ukrainian digital resistance. Cybersecurity has become "a weapon in a war," forcing mobile operators to look at the issue in a broader context, said European Telecommunications Network Operators Association Director General Lise Fuhr. The aggression heightened cybersecurity concerns in EU countries, said Lorena Boix-Alonso, European Commission director-digital society, trust and cybersecurity.
Unwanted marketing calls cause headaches worldwide, telecom and privacy regulators said. Robocalls have attracted so many complaints that in the past two years or so, the U.K. and Australia signed formal pacts with the U.S. to fight them. It appears, though, that scam calls may be becoming a far bigger concern.
The EU Digital Markets Act should stress personal data protection over boosting competition among tech companies, a Global Initiative on Digital Empowerment report said. It proposed giving online users control over access to the personally identifiable information they create and letting them set the terms under which the data can be used legally. In return, users would have to ensure their data is accurate and verified by trusted third parties. The scheme could be based on the model of the domain name system (DNS) and could have implications for ICANN's Whois registration data debate, said co-author and former ICANN CEO Paul Twomey in an interview. Milton Mueller of Georgia Tech's Internet Governance Project, however, branded the idea naive.
The EU and U.S. "found an agreement in principle" on trans-Atlantic personal data transfers, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted Friday. The U.S. made "unprecedented" commitments to put in place new safeguards to ensure that signals intelligence activities are "necessary and proportionate in the pursuit of defined national security objectives," and to create a new mechanism for EU individuals to seek redress if they believe they're unlawfully targeted by such activities, said a White House fact sheet. The deal addresses the concerns of the European Court of Justice in Schrems II, it said.
Big internet platforms will be subject to tougher competition rules after EU governments and lawmakers reached political agreement on language in the proposed Digital Markets Act (DMA), they said. The deal, if approved by the full EU Council and European Parliament, targets "gatekeepers," large companies that provide core platform services and have annual revenue of at least 75 billion euros ($83 billion), the Council said Thursday.