Net Neutrality is kind of a big deal. While the battle over net neutrality rages in the United States, the European Union has just voted to close loopholes that might have created a two-tier internet. The proposal still has to be approved by EU members states, but if it is it will soon be illegal for Telecoms to block internet traffic or charge more money for data-intensive services.
In a nutshell, Net Neutrality is the idea that service providers cannot artificially prioritize one type of traffic over another, or force customers/companies to pay fees for faster access to certain services. The EU proposal is built around the idea of creating safeguards that will keep start-ups, hospitals, universities and those without millions of dollars to draw on from being pushed out of the market. By contrast, the United States has just seen Netflix pay large fees to cable company and internet provider Comcast to ensure the best possible service is available to those using Comcast internet. The darker side of this is that, if unchecked, companies could eventually block access to sites in order to drive views to their own competing services. The EU has taken a step that closes many of these loopholes and is already being embraced by digital rights activists.
In addition, the new law also makes mobile contracts much simpler, in what is termed “plain language contracts”, as well as adding more consumer protection rights.
In an unsurprising reaction, the European Telecommunications Network Operators association has already warned that these changes could limit user choice in the long run, stating “The text approved today would introduce far-reaching restrictions on traffic management, which would make an efficient management of the network almost impossible, resulting in a lower quality internet for all.” While this remains to be seen, it does highlight the cast difference in perspective between telecommunications companies and consumers.
If the proposal is approved by EU member states, the European Union will have taken a firm stance on maintaining the free and open nature of the internet. The same, however, cannot be said for the United States. And if things don’t change in the US quickly, this writer might just be willing to relocate. Anyone in the UK have a couch I can borrow?
