[NNagain] DNA - Digital Networks Act - another garbage idea from EU that must be stopped!

[NNagain] DNA - Digital Networks Act - another garbage idea from EU that must be stopped!

[Frantisek Borsik]

Let's start with great explainer
<https://www.linkedin.com/posts/benoitfelten_sadly-talks-about-the-taxing-or-levying-share-7523802113097957376-eRzh/>
shared by Benoit Felten on LinkedIn and then https://stopdna.eu

Sadly, talks about the taxing or levying of traffic flows are here to stay.
> It's a stupid idea. I (and others) have demonstrated this in multiple
> reports, including the "Study on Negative Impacts of Mandated Dispute
> Resolution in IP Interconnection" (https://lnkd.in/eDum29Br).
> Policy makers, it seems, don't read reports. Last week in France, a
> network tax was voted into the budget at the proposal of the socialist
> party. It would generate upwards of 10bn EUR a year from the digital sector
> and would actually impact every participant in the digital sector, big or
> small, European or not.
> Unsurprisingly, the sector was up in arms against a scheme that would add
> about 8 EUR fiscal cost to the download of a new 100GB video-game (just to
> take one striking example.) As always, politicians pretend not to know that
> taxes are ultimately paid by consumers and businesses. Xavier Niel, the
> owner of Iliad (who can't be suspected of being pro US Big Tech) came out
> publicly to berate the stupidity of this taxation scheme, calling the MPs
> who voted this in "ignorant imbeciles".
> Due to the volatile political situation in France there is every chance
> that this tax will die alongside the current version of the budget as it
> fails to get the votes in parliament. Still, I think this is telling.
> Politicians are looking for public resources that won't cost them support,
> and pretending to levy the American tech bros seems like an easy win. But
> in doing that, you hit everyone else too.
> Meanwhile, in Brussels, rapporteur Kobosko's draft report on the DNA has
> been published. Not only does he support all the measures which I had
> highlighted could lead to network fees in my recent report "DNA Risks to IP
> Interconnection" (https://lnkd.in/eVeU3qQK), but he wants them reinforced
> (mandatory conciliation, explicit regulation of CDNs, etc.)
> We have yet to hear from anyone (Commission included) why there is need to
> regulate interconnection. All evidence points to a functional and
> competitive market. The BEREC's work on the topic is very clear and
> explicit.
> But MP Kobosko doesn't seem to care about that. In fact, in an interview
> in the Polish press (https://lnkd.in/eS8ZXTHe), he stated regarding the
> interconnection issues that "[The DNA] only touches upon the issue to a
> minimal extent" and that the voluntary mechanism "fails to address the core
> of the matter".
> No doubt Dean Bubley and I will discuss this and much more on the next
> Dean and Ben Talk Tech. Check it out next week if you think this matters.


All the best,

Frank

Frantisek (Frank) Borsik


*In loving memory of Dave Täht: *1965-2025

https://libreqos.io/2025/04/01/in-loving-memory-of-dave/


https://www.linkedin.com/in/frantisekborsik

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