First Public Hearing on the Network Usage Fee to Be Held in the National Assembly Next Week

The National Assembly in Yeouido. National Assembly Website

The Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee in the National Assembly is expected to hold a public hearing on the network usage fee early next week, and now attention is on whether this will accelerate the legislation process of related bills.

According to the authorities connected to the ICT industry on September 14, the parliamentary ICT Committee decided to hold a public hearing according to the National Assembly Act at 10 a.m. September 20, after several bills concerning the cost of network usage were proposed.

This is the first time that the ICT Committee will hold a public hearing on the network usage fee at the standing committee level.

The ICT Committee plans to invite people from the communications industry and content providers to discuss the establishment of basic principles on the installation of networks and the cost of using the networks.

The committee is also considering inviting representatives of both SK Broadband and Netflix’s U.S. home office, which are currently fighting each other in court over the cost of network usage.

SK Broadband argued that the surge in over-the-top (OTT) media services has put a considerable burden on online traffic and demanded Netflix to shoulder the cost of operating and increasing networks. However, Netflix refused to pay for the usage of networks claiming net neutrality and filed a lawsuit. The court sided with SK Broadband in the first trial last year.

The public hearing is expected to accelerate the legislation process for bills concerning the cost of network usage.

In April, bills were presented to prevent global big tech companies from free riding in networks and to create an environment for fair competition in the subcommittee that reviewed bills on ICT, broadcasting and communications (subcommittee 2) under the ICT Committee. But voices called for a careful review of the matter and the committee postponed the review on condition that the issue be discussed again in a public hearing. Ruling and opposition parties promised to hold a public hearing on the network usage fee in the National Assembly in the second half of this year.