While the US election has quashed any further discussions on Net Neutrality for now, we here in the UK await some sort of indication this week on how the European Commission will stand when it announces it official position on net neutrality at the end of the year. The New York Time reports that the European Commissioner for Telecommunications, Ms. Neelie Kroes, is likely to discuss this issue briefly during a daylong meeting on the topic this Thursday at the European Parliament.
On September 30 of this year the European Commission closed a consultation on Net Neutrality and the Open Internet. Findings of this consultation are expected by the end of the 2010 and an agreement on ‘reasonable’ traffic management practices are to be agreed upon by May 1, 2011 among all of the 27 EU member state national regulators. Ms. Kroes has indicated in the past that she is not likely to push for regulation on broadband and wireless traffic management in spite of statements earlier this year where she warned operators not to bar competing services.
As in any debate on Net Neutrality, there is still some confusion between traffic management practice and truth in advertising to consumers. It is one thing to demand that an Internet Service Provider fundamentally change how they manage Internet traffic on their own networks and it is another to advertise different broadband speeds at different prices and not deliver those speeds. Many pro-Net Neutrality groups in the EU say it is ‘unfair’ that consumers have to pay more for broadband intensive services when in fact it is fair use if consumers get the broadband that they pay for. There is no doubt this will be discussed on Thursday.
Experts from a variety of regulatory groups, private companies and academic institutions are expected to give testimony on Thursday. The general consensus going into the Thursday meeting is that the EU and member state regulators will require best practices, but will not go so far as to set specific rules or penalties.
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