Thierry Breton’s “Giant Leap for Connectivity” Falls Short of Reality, Says ITIF
WASHINGTON—Earlier today, the Commissioner for the Internal Market at the European Union, Thierry Breton, spoke at the Mobile World Congress on the future of connectivity. The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), the leading think tank for science and technology policy, released the following statement from Joe Kane, director of broadband and spectrum policy:
Thierry Breton’s claim that the “fair share” consultation is the key to achieving a “giant leap in connectivity” obscures the reality that the proposed policy would impose a regulatory thumb on the scale for EU Internet service providers at the expense of consumers.
Continued investment in broadband infrastructure and content are both critical components to a thriving Internet ecosystem, but regulatory mandates that override freely negotiated business arrangements will advance neither. The European Commission cannot hope to protect Internet users while undermining complex technical and financial arrangements that make the Internet flourish.
For more on this issue, see:
- Joe Kane and Jessica Dine, “Consumers Are the Ones Who End Up Paying for Sending-Party-Pays Mandates” (ITIF, November 2022).
- ITIF, “European Commission Should Reject “Fair Share” Proposal, Says ITIF” (February 2023).
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The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan research and educational institute focusing on the intersection of technological innovation and public policy. Recognized by its peers in the think tank community as the global center of excellence for science and technology policy, ITIF’s mission is to formulate and promote policy solutions that accelerate innovation and boost productivity to spur growth, opportunity, and progress.
