With this communication the BIPT wishes to contribute to the debate on the possible introduction of mandatory payments by companies conveying content through the Internet to telecom operators. In this communication the BIPT compiles data and studies in order to assess the need for and desirability of a contribution obligation.
A draft communication has been published on 26 May 2023 and gave interested parties the opportunity to react until 26 June 2023, which allowed them to provide the BIPT with additional arguments or information. The BIPT received 22 reactions, resulting in the addition of, among other things, a section on the impact on consumer welfare and the identification of data traffic.
On the basis of this study, the BIPT believes that the need for mandatory payments from Internet platforms to network operators in Belgium is not sufficiently demonstrated.