European Parliament Backs Net Neutrality

The European Parliament today decided to clearly limit network operators’ possibilities to treat selected services differently for purely economic reasons.

On the initiative of the Socialists and Democrats, the Green and Pirate Parties, the Left and the Liberals the plenary in Brussels today voted in favor of amendments to strengthen internet neutrality in the latest legislative draft for the EU “Connected Continent” telecoms package.

European Union Commissioner Neelie Kroes’s proposal to allow specialised services was turned down after another heated debate in the Parliament yesterday.

The party groups favouring the net neutrality clauses and several European activist organisations including European Digital Rights and La Quadrature du Net hailed the decision as an important victory for the open internet.

Kroes in her reaction focussed on the end of mobile roaming charges by the end of 2015, another part of the draft legislation.

Telecom associations like the German VATM criticised the net neutrality vote and roaming ban, but welcomed the overturning of the Commission’s proposals with regard to limiting obligations for an unbundled local loop and price caps for cross-border EU phone calls.

The Computer and Communication Industry Association and others underlined that the Parliament’s decision was only a first step that now have to be passed by EU member states in the Council.

The final result is expected towards the end of the year and after the parliamentary elections in May.