EU: Despite promise, leaked telco single market draft has no mention of ‘network neutrality’

In a leaked draft for the European Commission’s proposed Reglation for the Telecom Single Market, reports say that despite the promise for such measures, the 55-page draft has no mention of “network neutrality.” Commissioner for the Digital Agenda Neelie Kroes first announced plans for a single telco market last June, the proposal included “rules to safeguard the open internet, so bright ideas don’t get blocked or throttled.” An open Internet, or network neutrality, has been debated among antitrust experts in recent years; proponents say some wireless networks may discriminate against or between certain types of online content or content providers with anticompetitive effects. The leaked draft is being criticized by some proponents of network neutrality. The Access Now organization says the Article “explicitly allows agreements between content and access providers to prioritize traffic.” Reports did not disclose when the Commission plans to officially release the draft, which may undergo changes from the leaked version.

Full Content: Access Now

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