"Internet users should pay an annual fee to support print media, a special committee has advised Dutch media minister Ronald Plasterk.
PCM's newspaper titles.
Photo AP A fee of several euros per year per internet connection should be made available to boost innovations by print media, according to a committee under the chairmanship of former politician Elco Brinkman that published its findings on Tuesday.

Plasterk had asked Brinkman what could be done to preserve the diversity of the Dutch press, which has witnessed a drop in subscriptions and advertising revenue. Plasterk asked for recommendations to support the media without mingling with the companies and their journalists.

Brinkman said the fee is important "to make surfers aware that information on the web is not free." On top of the internet taxation, Brinkman recommended limiting the responsibilities of the public broadcasting companies.

The Netherlands has three national and several local TV channels and numerous radio and digital stations operating with state money. But they also sell advertising, and Plasterk now wants to use 8 million euros of that revenue to support the diversity and innovations of the press."