European Commission Opens Proceedings for Google to Comply with Digital Markets Act

WASHINGTON, Jan. 28, 2026 – The European Commission launched two proceedings Monday to assist Google in complying with its obligations under the Digital Markets Act. 

It’s the Commission’s latest effort to help a U.S. technology company meet requirements of the DMA – the European Union regulation designed to make digital markets more competitive.

The proceedings focus on two specific areas: Google must provide third-party developers interoperability with features in its Android operating system, including its AI service, Gemini. And, it must grant third-party search providers access to anonymized ranking, query, click, and view data.

As the European Union enforces compliance with the DMA, American technology companies and industry groups warn that uneven implementation across member states is creating regulatory uncertainty that could weigh on investment, innovation, and digital infrastructure development.

The DMA, which targets large online platforms, designated as “gatekeepers,” limits practices such as self-preferencing, restricting data use across services, and mandating greater interoperability. While the law is EU-wide, enforcement is unfolding alongside a broader set of digital reforms that companies say are not being applied consistently across its 27 member states.

Industry groups representing U.S. technology firms said the combination of EU digital rules, including the DMA, the Digital Services Act, national-level measures, and new telecom legislation, is complicating compliance and long-term planning for companies.

Those concerns were amplified by CCIA Europe, which has urged the European Commission and national governments to simplify digital regulation as enforcement of the DMA expands. The group says political infighting, inconsistent implementation, and so-called “gold-plating,” in which member states add extra requirements beyond EU law, risk eroding Europe’s competitiveness.

U.S. tech group oppose proposed Digital Networks Act

CCIA Europe has also criticized the Commission’s newly proposed Digital Networks Act, warning that its “voluntary conciliation” mechanism could evolve into a de facto system of network usage fees. The group argues that such a shift would allow dominant telecom operators to extract payments from online services, harming consumers, weakening net neutrality, and discouraging investment in cloud and content delivery infrastructure.

“Applying ill-fitting telecom rules to cloud and internet services goes against the EU’s stated simplification agenda,” CCIA Europe said, cautioning that additional complexity could deter investment and slow the adoption of critical digital technologies.

Yet not all industry groups share that view. FTTH Council Europe, which represents more than 170 fiber and connectivity companies, welcomed the Digital Networks Act as a step toward modernizing Europe’s telecom framework and accelerating fiber deployment.

The FTTH Council has welcomed the Commission’s proposal to phase out copper networks in favor of fiber, arguing that the approach strikes a balance between incentivizing future-proof infrastructure and accounting for national market differences. The group also emphasized the importance of maintaining stable and predictable regulatory conditions to support long-term investment in broadband networks.

“The regulatory framework must continue to incentivize investment and foster effective competition,” the FTTH Council said, calling on EU co-legislators to support provisions it believes will strengthen Europe’s digital transition and single market.

The diverging reactions signify a broader tension facing European digital policy makers as DMA enforcement intensifies. While Brussels is moving to rein in the market power of large platforms, it is also attempting to stimulate investment in next-generation broadband and digital infrastructure, goals that some industry groups argue are increasingly at odds.

The European Commission has defended its approach, saying the DMA and related reforms are necessary to ensure fair competition, consumer protection, and long-term digital resilience. But as enforcement actions accelerate, companies on both sides of the Atlantic are watching closely to see whether the EU can balance regulatory ambition with economic competitiveness.