EU Postpones Further Net Neutrality Action For Now
11/12/2010
European regulators said Thursday
the EU, many of whose member states already have rules to prevent network
operators from discriminating against other Internet access providers,
would not enact additional rules on net neutrality for now.
Europe already has more extensive regulation
of last mile broadband access than does the United States, and competition
among providers is also much greater.
The following comments can be attributed to
CCIA Executive Vice President Erika Mann:
“The announcement is not surprising as the
telecom landscape is very different in Europe. Europe already has regulations.
Consumers have the right to send and receive the information of their choice
and there are already rules that provide transparency about network management
techniques used to manage Internet traffic.
“Europe has generally been fairly vigilant
at monitoring consumer rights and competition policy issues like this and
we trust that they will jump in if they see a problem with neutral Internet
access in the future.
“This issue has not been as controversial
and even as debated in the EU because we don’t have the same potential
problems as the United States as smaller carriers are already guaranteed
nondiscriminatory access to the last mile connecting service to Internet
users.”
The following comments can be attributed to CCIA Vice President Cathy Sloan:
“EU member states such as France and the UK already have nondiscrimination
safeguards that are much stricter than the so-called Third Way approach
proposed by our FCC.
“What is ironic is that major U.S. carriers
who are now in the EU market depend on nondiscriminatory access to the
last mile to be able to offer service in Europe and these same carriers
have successfully opposed any requirement that they sell wholesale access
to small carriers here. If they would allow the same rules they benefit
from in Europe to be applied here, the net neutrality debate here could
largely subside.
“The need for more clearly defined open Internet
rules is not as critical in Europe as it is here. While cable broadband
access is less prevalent there, the EU has hundreds of telecom Internet
Access Providers competing for business because those who own the “pipes”
have to offer nondiscriminatory access to the last mile to other carriers.
“No one should take this news in Europe as any indication that all is
well in the United States too. Instead, they should look at concerns still
being expressed by Europeans this week that any moves to charge Internet
content providers to pay more for faster service amounts to a tax on innovation.
If they are wary of taxing innovation, it would be wise for us to be as
well.”
