EU telecoms groups seek charging shake-up

European telecoms operators should be free to develop new business models, including the controversial idea of charging online content providers for delivering their material to consumers, a new report is expected to say on July 13.

The report -- by the chief executives of Alcatel-Lucent, Deutsche Telekom and Vivendi -- has been drawn up in response to the European Commission’s fears that ambitious EU targets to improve broadband speeds will be missed because of inadequate investments by telecoms operators. The report is expected to provide thinly veiled backing to operators tapping new wholesale revenues by taking the contentious step of charging online content providers for delivering their bandwidth-hungry video material to consumers in a high-quality condition, according to people familiar with the document. Such charging is strongly opposed by supporters of net neutrality, including Google, which has previously insisted that operators can get their revenue from consumers and businesses that need broadband connections.