'Facebook tax' could make web companies pay for usage outside the US

[![ITU ponders Facebook tax for developing nations][1] ][2]

Leaked documents purportedly from the [ITU][3] reveal that the body is considering a levy on content-heavy services like [Facebook][4] and [Netflix][5] to pay for the bandwidth they use outside of the US. Tabled by lobbyists representing Europe's biggest cellphone networks, the proposal suggests that [Google][6] and others should [shoulder some of the cost][7] of bringing their services to customers in the rest of the world. In response, Cisco VP Robert Pepper has argued that any such charge could cause web services to block queries from developing nations, "effectively cutting them off from the internet." The motion will be discussed at a December meeting of the ITU council, where all 193 member countries will be allowed to vote.

[Image Credit: [Wikimedia Commons][8]]

['Facebook tax' could make web companies pay for usage outside the US][2] originally appeared on [Engadget][9] on Fri, 08 Jun 2012 06:32:00 EDT. Please see our [terms for use of feeds][10].

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