Proposals from 192 ITU member states will be up for discussion at the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) in Dubai this December.
In this WCIT agenda is a proposal by European Telecommunications Network Operators (ETNO) to impose a sender tax on large-volume, over-the-top content providers. Yes, the telecom lobbying group craves usage-linked fees from content providers.
That means anyone sending a lot of video or offering video downloads…like YouTube or even rAVe Publications (more videos from InfoComm, ISE, DSE than anyone).
Under this proposal, operators would also be allowed to charge “enhanced” fees for "value-added network services" such as “specified quality” (guaranteeing you get the bandwidth as advertised) and “reliability” (guaranteeing the broadband actually works).
ETNO argues major content deliverers owe operators the costs of maintaining and building the networks that allow their content-heavy sites to reach international markets.
Many of the largest data-moving websites affected by this senders' tax are USA-based, such as Google, Facebook, Apple, and Netflix. That makes voting for this tax popular among the 192 countries in ITU, the majority who do not host any big content providers. (One wonders how will dear Tuvalu vote as a Polynesian island that owns the .tv domains it sells to large content developers, all foreigners?)
Of course, we the users already get billed by these operators. ETNO wants to double-dip and bill both ends for the same networks. Missing from ETNO’s logic is the fact that we only want their broadband networks (and would only be willing to pay their “enhanced fees”) because of…well, content from large content providers!
Are these networks impoverished? Are they so poor they need a bail-out? Surpassed only by banks and hedge funds by their rapacity, network operators make good profits. Their one big explanation is they need now to accumulate, accumulate, and accumulate for the future when they need to upgrade to the next internet. (Remember these were the telecom industry people who failed to take advantage of the beginnings of the internet…yes, that was left to the IT industry to figure out how to create the future of telecom networks.Telecom was the brake and IT the accelerator.)
Obviously what happens (when you open the door to this Pandora’s Phone Box) is that the precedent is then set so that telecom operators can start charging all content senders—including our AV clients. A live concert stream…a corporate webcast…an IP digital signage network…ETNO sees all these as profit opportunities.
Anyone remember the days of paying 300 euro for a single call from a European hotel? Or a 5000 euro per month phone bill for a small company? Ah, the good ol’ days…that is, good for the telephone companies…
Even more controversial at WCIT are proposals (leaked from secret proceedings) that would grant the ITU greater powers over the internet, shifting the authority from the original (and current) USA-designated controls. The Yanks fear allowing a political body like UN’s ITU to control the internet would make the internet as effective as…well, the United Nations. Maybe they have 192 points there.
