Short Bytes: The BEREC has published a set of new neutrality guidelines which would be adopted by the European Parliament in the coming future. This would prevent the internet providers and other internet-based companies from molding the internet as per their will to earn money.
The new laws have been brought into existence to protect the freedom of people on the internet and not letting the greedy telecom and internet companies take over the internet to fill their bank accounts. Once the new law comes into action, the internet providers won’t be able to control the internet as per their will, “blocking or slowing down of Internet traffic, except where necessary”.
This is the third major instance when the net neutrality has triumphed over the money intended companies with plans to create fast lanes for services based on paid prioritization. Last year, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States, approved similar guidelines to snatch the power from telecom corporations to control what do can do and can’t do on the internet. Also, in India, Facebook’s Free Basics initiative was criticized because it appeared to be against the net neutrality.
The absence of the net neutrality guidelines allows the internet companies to discontinue the availability of free and open internet to the end-users. For instance, an internet provider could allow more bandwidth for one (promoted) service over the rest of the internet.
After accepting money from a company, an internet provider could allow the users to freely access the company’s websites and services on its network. This practice is known as Zero-rating which could restrict you to only a limited number of services if the net neutrality laws are kicked out. This may also lead to reduced data cap for the rest of the internet you purchase.
The new guidelines will enhance the transparency. This means that the internet companies would have to disclose the practical bandwidth limits of their network rather than riding on the theoretical numbers which couldn’t be achieved in reality.
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Also Read: What is Net Neutrality and Why Should You Care? (The Ultimate Guide)
