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Europe votes in net neutrality, but doesn’t ban Internet 'fast lanes'
Source: Christian Science Monitor
Europe votes in net neutrality, but doesn’t ban Internet 'fast lanes'
The European Parliament approved regulations on Tuesday that safeguard net neutrality principles and ban cellular roaming charges. Critics of the package say the language is so vague that Internet companies will be able to create a 'fast lane' for companies willing to pay.
By Jeff Ward-Bailey, Correspondent OCTOBER 27, 2015
The European Parliament voted on Tuesday to approve "net neutrality" regulations, but rejected amendments that would have clarified the rules, leaving the European Union with a set of regulations that critics say are too vague.
Spanish Parliament member Pilar del Castillo, who originally proposed the text, said the new rules will guarantee an open Internet and that they would prevent Internet providers from offering companies better access to users in exchange for compensation. However, the adopted rules allow providers to prioritize the delivery of certain services, and to exempt content from monthly data caps, which critics say could lead to an Internet “fast lane” and “slow lane.”
One of the rejected amendments would have specified the circumstances under which Internet providers may prioritize specialized services, such as medical operations and self-driving car data, over other Internet traffic. Proponents of the bill argued that it makes sense to give priority to such services, but critics such as World Wide Web founder Sir Tim Berners-Lee argued that the rules are written in such a way that companies with deep pockets could pay to have their content classified as a “specialized service,” and therefore delivered faster than competitors’ content.
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The European Parliament approved regulations on Tuesday that safeguard net neutrality principles and ban cellular roaming charges. Critics of the package say the language is so vague that Internet companies will be able to create a 'fast lane' for companies willing to pay.
By Jeff Ward-Bailey, Correspondent OCTOBER 27, 2015
The European Parliament voted on Tuesday to approve "net neutrality" regulations, but rejected amendments that would have clarified the rules, leaving the European Union with a set of regulations that critics say are too vague.
Spanish Parliament member Pilar del Castillo, who originally proposed the text, said the new rules will guarantee an open Internet and that they would prevent Internet providers from offering companies better access to users in exchange for compensation. However, the adopted rules allow providers to prioritize the delivery of certain services, and to exempt content from monthly data caps, which critics say could lead to an Internet “fast lane” and “slow lane.”
One of the rejected amendments would have specified the circumstances under which Internet providers may prioritize specialized services, such as medical operations and self-driving car data, over other Internet traffic. Proponents of the bill argued that it makes sense to give priority to such services, but critics such as World Wide Web founder Sir Tim Berners-Lee argued that the rules are written in such a way that companies with deep pockets could pay to have their content classified as a “specialized service,” and therefore delivered faster than competitors’ content.
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Read more: http://www.csmonitor.com/Technology/2015/1027/Europe-votes-in-net-neutrality-but-doesn-t-ban-Internet-fast-lanes
