Huffington Post: EU Proposal adopts Net Neutrality principles for ‘open internet,’ but would create fast lanes
Huffington Post: “A draft agreement released by the European Commission has many net neutrality advocates concerned that a loophole will destroy net neutrality in Europe by creating Internet “fast lanes.”
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Jens-Henrik Jeppesen, director of European affairs for the Center for Democracy & Technology, said in an interview that the agreement’s text “has evolved through torturous negotiations between member states and Parliament.” He cautioned that no one has seen the final text, only a fact sheet from the commission.
The Center for Democracy and Technology is open to the idea of specialized services separate from the public Internet, in theory, but is reserving judgment before it sees the final proposal to support or oppose the EU approach.
“While some net neutrality advocates are opposed to the concept on principle, CDT has consistently argued that ISPs and operators should have flexibility to innovate and experiment with new services on the condition that they do not harm the quality of the open Internet, and that they are not sold or used as a substitute for it,” blogged Jeppesen. “The Regulation attempts to reflect these limitations, but CDT is troubled by reports that the exception for specialized services may be too vague and open-ended to maintain a clear distinction between Internet access service and specialized services, and ensure that the provision of such services does not leave the open Internet unharmed.”