Major U.S. tech companies, including Amazon, Google, Meta, and Microsoft, will avoid stringent, binding rules in the European Union’s digital regulation overhaul. The EU will instead subject these firms to a voluntary framework.
This new policy is contained within the Digital Networks Act, which is scheduled for presentation on January 20.
The decision marks a victory for the tech giants, who successfully lobbied against proposals championed by telecom companies. These proposals would have required the tech firms to contribute to network infrastructure costs.
The final details of the Digital Networks Act will be negotiated with EU member states and the European Parliament in the coming months before the legislation becomes law.