EU goes soft on Big Tech in digital rules overhaul

Date:
Fri, 09 Jan 2026 14:20:00 +0000

Description:
EU Digital Networks Act will require telecoms firms to modernize their networks, but Big Tech is mostly immune.

FULL STORY

Big tech firms like Google, Meta, Netflix, Microsoft, and Amazon will not
face strict new regulations under the Commission's upcoming Digital Networks Act (DNA) despite lobbying from telecom companies, according to a new Reuters report.

Despite generating huge amounts of internet traffic, telecoms firms will
remain the key target of Europe's DNA, with Big Tech set to follow a
voluntary best practices framework instead.

As a result, Big Tech will face no new legal obligations, but their
cooperation will be monitored by Europe's telecoms regulator BEREC. "There
will be no new obligations. It will be a best practices regime," a personal familiar with the matter cited by Reuters explained.

Big Tech won't face DNA enforcement

Henna Virkkunen, VP of the European Commission for Technological Sovereignty, Security, and Democracy, will formally present the Digital Networks Act on January 20, framing it as an opportunity to boost Europe's competitiveness
and increase investment in telecoms infrastructure.

Further negotiations between EU member states and the bloc's Parliament are expected before the DNA becomes law, but at its core it will focus on modernizing networks through removing copper in favor of full fiber networks. Unsurprisingly, there's also a focus on strengthening cybersecurity across critical networks, including undersea cables.

Still, reports that Big Tech will be immune from additional regulations is
very pertinent. Companies like Apple, Meta, and Google have all faced serious fines from European regulators over the past year, with Trump's
administration accusing the EU of launching "discriminatory and harassing lawsuits" against American companies.

The US even threatened to use "every tool at its disposal" to counter
Europe's enforcement.

Europe's DNA still has political connotations, though, with the upcoming
plans designed to help Europe catch up with US and Chinese networks.

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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/eu-goes-soft-on-big-tech-in-digital-rules-overha ul

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