Spanish Telecom Considers Charging Search Engine for Services
In an interview, Spanish network Telefonica's CEO Cesar Alierta said that "Search engines use our network, without paying anything for it." He also said that Telefonica was seriously considering charging Google and Yahoo for use of Telefonica's network.
End users already pay for the traffic generated. Charging search engines would be charging for site use at both ends, a practice that is currently unheard of. Moreover, it would bring an end to net neutrality. This would drastically change the way the Internet is used. Start-ups and smaller providers wouldn't and would therefore be excluded since they can't afford to pay for the service.
EU Commissioner-designate Neelie Kroes has pledged to defend net neutrality, stating that internet providers "shouldn't be allowed to limit the access to service or content out of commercial motivation but only in cases of security issues and spamming".
Google and Yahoo have yet to issue a statement in response to Telefonica's proposal. They appear to be ignoring the issue.
