European telecommunications ministers could decide
tonight whether to endorse a net neutrality clause in the
long-awaitedTelecoms Package.
The
meeting, scheduled for 9:30pm, will discuss whether to endorse
Amendment 138, which guarantees network users than no-one can
interfere with their access to and enjoyment of the internet
without a court order, otherwise known as the
net
neutrality principle.
The US Federal Communications Commissioner
endorsed the principle last week, saying he would consult on
making net neutrality a rule, along with five other principles to
keep the internet as free and open as possible.
Responding to the FCC's statement, Malcolm Hutty, spokesman for
UK and European internet service providers (ISPs), said, "British
and European ISPs will be watching American regulatory developments
with interest. The market structure, competition regime and the
telecoms regulatory framework are all quite different in Europe
from the US, so the American debate on network neutrality doesn't
translate directly across the Atlantic."
Amendment 138 is a bone of contention. Without it, ISPs will be
free to limit access and internet bandwidth speeds, filter and
delete messages, and otherwise vary the user's experience of access
the internet without recourse to the courts.
Those who argue against the amendment say it is needed to stop
illegal transfers of copyright material and other cybercriminality.
Proponents, who mostly agree that illegal filesharing should be
stopped, argue that without it, consumers and smaller
communications services providers will have no power to enforce
contracts with larger network operators, thus entrenching their
market dominance.