The European Commission has launched a new public consultation on net neutrality with a view to its commitment to preserve the open and neutral character of the Internet.
Per the European Commission’s request, following the results of the Commission’s first consultation on net neutrality of 2010, the Body of European Regulators (BEREC) investigated traffic management in the EU.
The May 2012 BEREC report showed that several fixed and mobile network and service operators block or slow down certain services, which affects a significant number of subscribers in Europe.
A new Commission consultation on the key issues of the net neutrality debate has consequently been launched.
The consultation seeks to find answers to questions on internet interconnection issues between network operators, the possibility for consumers to switch operators, transparency (in particular regarding the actual internet performance, namely speed and quality), as well as on certain aspects of internet traffic management.
The consultation is open to all interested public and private parties. This includes internet service providers, Internet content and application providers, equipment manufacturers, investors, public authorities, consumers and their associations.
The consultation is to run until 15 October 2012. The responses received will be used as input for the European Commission’s future guidance on net neutrality that is to be published in 2013.
