Washington – Australia’s Parliament is considering legislation to introduce a controversial Code of Conduct that would require certain U.S. internet companies to subsidize local news content producers by imposing obligations such as payment for links to news content.
The Computer & Communications Industry Association has advocated for access to information online for more than two decades. CCIA has advocated against previous policy proposals that would compel digital services that link to other websites to pay for the ability to do so on the basis that such policies are unwise, and conflict with international commitments.
The following can be attributed to CCIA President Matt Schruers:
“This policy will hurt readers, publishers, and advertisers, all of whom depend on links. We encourage dialogue towards a consensus solution that does not attempt to re-design how the Internet works, or question basic principles of market-based economies.”
“CCIA supports the rights of publishers and content creators to be fairly compensated for their work consistent with current legal and technical norms. Any new policy should account for the fact that digital services help drive traffic to news websites, which can boost revenues for news publishers.”