COUNTRY FOCUS : NETHERLANDS
Securing telecom infrastructure is a top priority for the Dutch government as it attempts to carry out a fast fixed-connection Internet service by 2023 . We hear from State Secretary of Economic Affairs and Climate , Mona Keijzer , who lets us know the importance of safeguarding operations in the telecom sector for Dutch consumers .
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In a document entitled Bill on Undesirable Telecommunications Control , sent to the Council of State on behalf of the State Secretary of Economic Affairs and Climate , Mona Keijzer , stated parties wishing to take over Dutch telecom facilities must report this in advance to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate .
Telecom facilities such as telephone services , data centres and the Internet are of vital importance to national security and public order . Without this infrastructure , society is disrupted and the economy suffers .
The Netherlands therefore wants the legal power , going forward , to prohibit or reverse takeovers in this sector . By means of the telecommunications sector ( undesirable control ) bill ( wetsvoorstel voorkoming ongewenste zeggenschap telecommunicatie ), Keijzer seeks to secure continuity and reliability of service and to safeguard public interests .
The State Secretary said : “ If Internet , data traffic and telephony do not work well , public life will be disrupted . Consumers and entrepreneurs also suffer economic damage . The Netherlands benefits greatly from an open economy . But the Cabinet wants to prevent unreliable , non-transparent or criminal companies from entering into our national security . That is why I protect this vital sector and enter a duty to report . This is a form of active approval of major acquisitions that has also been agreed in the Coalition Agreement .”
In the bill , the telecom sector does not only include providers of mobile , fixed telephony and Internet . Companies that offer vital facilities such as Internet nodes ,
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