By Mathieu Rosemain and Supantha Mukherjee
LONDON (Reuters) -Telecom operators are pushing the European Union to implement new laws that would make Big Tech pay for network costs, following Australia’s example, according to four sources close to the matter.
Europe’s telecoms operators have lobbied for a financial contribution from U.S. tech firms such as Alphabet’s Google (GOOGL.O), Meta’s Facebook and Netflix (NFLX.O), saying that they use a huge part of the region’s internet traffic.
The latest proposal, which hasn’t been reported, is being discussed within the telecoms lobby group GSMA, an association that represents more than 750 mobile operators.
“GSMA is coordinating a proposal that speaks to Big Tech contribution to European infrastructure investment,” said John Giusti, GSMA’s chief regulatory officer, without elaborating on the content of the proposal.
A letter will be sent to EU industry chief Thierry Breton in the next five to six weeks, Giusti said.
Google, Facebook, Netflix, Amazon did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
(Reporting by Mathieu Rosemain and Supantha Mukherjee;Additional reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Matt Scuffham)
