Exclusive-Telcos push EU to make Big Tech pay for network costs

FILE PHOTO: European Union flags flutter outside the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, September 28, 2022. REUTERS/Yves Herman

PARIS/STOCKHOLM (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, Meta's Facebook and Netflix, saying that they use a huge part of the region's internet traffic.