The roundtable titled “Rethinking connectivity in Europe: the Digital Networks Act” aimed at understanding the impact on the industry, consumer rights and competition of the new proposals of the Digital Networks Act, published in January 2026 by the European Commission (see the MediaLaws’ tracker on the DNA).
Cláudio Teixeira (BEUC), Konstantinos Komaitis (Digital Forensics Research Lab, Atlantic Council), and Maria Teresa Stecher (CCIA Europe) explored several key issues.
A central theme was the potential impact of the DNA on net neutrality. Concerns were raised that proposed changes to access and traffic management rules — including the possible introduction of network fees or tariffs imposed on certain online services — could undermine the open internet framework established in recent years. Speakers emphasised that any shift in cost allocation mechanisms would ultimately affect consumers, either directly through higher prices or indirectly through reduced choice and innovation.
The discussion also addressed the broader question of whether internet services might increasingly be regulated under a framework traditionally designed for telecommunications operators. This raises complex questions about competitive balance, regulatory symmetry, and the risk of extending sector-specific obligations to actors with fundamentally different business models and market dynamics.
Another major theme was digital sovereignty. Participants reflected on how the DNA fits within the wider European strategy to strengthen technological autonomy, infrastructure resilience, and industrial competitiveness. At the same time, tensions emerged between sovereignty-driven objectives and the preservation of an open, globally interconnected internet ecosystem.
Overall, the debate highlighted the delicate trade-offs the Digital Networks Act will need to navigate: safeguarding net neutrality, ensuring fair cost distribution, maintaining consumer welfare, fostering investment and innovation, and aligning connectivity policy with Europe’s broader digital and industrial ambitions.
To watch the video, visit this website.
