Telefónica, along with the big operators, have long been demanding a fee from companies like Google, Amazon or Netflix for making use of their networks. The First Vice President of the Government, Nadia Calviño, yesterday showed her support for the company’s demand and today, the Secretary of State for Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructures, María González Veracruz, has done so even more clearly. Brussels has already taken the first step to impose it and the internal market commissioner, Thierry Breton, has also been in favor of developing it.
Therefore, everything seems to be heading for the big technology companies to pay for something that they now enjoy for free. But what is far from so clear is that it is really these companies that pay the tax. What’s more, in the sector it is already clearly stated that these companies will transfer the tax to the users, so the end customer will actually be responsible for paying the fee. Nothing new, on the other hand, since it is something that is already happening with the Google tax, and that will happen with the new tax on banks because the European Central Bank (ECB) itself has already said that this is how it should be and will be.
And the Government is perfectly aware of this possibility, which, however, is not ruled out with the same categorical support as the rate itself. “We hope it does not have a direct impact on the public,” González Veracruz limited himself to pointing out today at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona when asked about this point.
On the other hand, their support for the Telefónica initiative has been much more extensive. “We are clearly in favor of making decisions within the framework of a fair share (fair distribution). What we still have to see is the detail of the model,” he pointed out, to later influence the “imbalance” that, in his opinion , exists between operators and large technology companies.
The Secretary of State also spoke about the Spain Audiovisual Hub, an initiative that she stated is advancing “by great steps”. This project has a budget of 1,603 million euros until 2025, which is expandable, according to González Veracruz, and is integrated into the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan that is financed with European funds.
In fact, it is one of the axes of the Digital 2050 agenda and its objective is to make Spain a leader in audiovisual production in the digital era, as well as a pole of attraction for international investment and talent.
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