Why EU Network Cost Law 'Keyman' Breton Is Appearing at MWC

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Su-yeon] Thierry Breton, the EU Commissioner for Internal Market who has emerged as a 'key man' in the European Union (EU) network usage fee law, is drawing attention from the telecommunications industry.

On the 16th, the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) announced that Commissioner Breton will be a speaker at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2023, the world's largest mobile exhibition, held in Barcelona, Spain on the 27th (local time).

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

Major foreign media reported that Breton said he is ready to start negotiations on sharing network usage fees at MWC.

Commissioner Breton has recently taken the lead in the EU's offensive on network usage fee legislation. In a speech in Helsinki, Finland on the 6th, he stated, "The European Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles has already established that all market participants benefiting from digital transformation must contribute fairly and proportionally to public goods, services, and infrastructure." He also shared on his Twitter that he met with the Finnish Minister of Communications to discuss gigabyte connectivity and infrastructure. Gigabyte connectivity is presumed to be the name of the EU network usage fee law. In a video posted on his Twitter last December, he cited fair burden-sharing of network costs as a future task.

Commissioner Breton is a telecommunications expert who is considered a strong candidate for the next EU Commission President. He has served as France’s Minister of Economy and CEO of Orange, France’s leading telecommunications company. Nicknamed the 'Bulldozer,' he refers to himself as a 'sheriff' standing against Silicon Valley in the United States.

Last October, after Elon Musk, Tesla CEO, completed the acquisition of Twitter and posted "The bird (Twitter logo) is free," Breton famously responded targeting Musk, saying, "In Europe, the bird flies according to EU rules." He has maintained a tough stance against the U.S., stating he "cannot remain silent" about the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). He is expected to raise his tone against U.S. Big Tech again at this MWC.

South Korea has led global discussions on network usage fees but has recently lost momentum and is drifting. Since the 2019 lawsuit between SK Broadband and Netflix, seven amendments to the Telecommunications Business Act have been proposed in the National Assembly regardless of party lines. Although a first public hearing was held last September to push forward legislation, progress has stalled due to Google’s public relations efforts and partisan conflicts.

Accordingly, the domestic telecommunications industry expects that the MWC could reignite momentum for the network usage fee law. Minister of Science and ICT Lee Jong-ho will attend as a speaker, and lawmakers from the National Assembly’s Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting Committee are coordinating their participation. Yoo Young-sang, CEO of SK Telecom and SK Broadband, currently in litigation with Netflix, will also attend MWC.

A telecommunications industry official said, "If a meeting between Korean legislative figures attending MWC and Commissioner Breton is arranged, it would be helpful for legislation."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.