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6/17/11

Netherlands first European Country to make Net Neutrality Legal

The Netherlands is on its way to become the first European country to pass a legislation on Net neutrality. Responding to an ever-increasing practice by telecommunications companies of charging their customers for services like Skype and other applications, the Netherlands is set to enact net neutrality laws forcing carriers to guarantee access to all web content and equally.
The legislation is expected to be approved of by the Dutch government next Tuesday, following a vote.

Net neutrality is a principle which advocates no restrictions by Internet service providers or governments on consumers' access to networks that participate in and on the Internet. Specifically, network neutrality would prevent restrictions on content, sites, platforms, the kinds of equipment that may be attached, or the modes of communication.

Net neutrality advocates have been calling for a law that would ensure that people get access to all Web content equally without additional surcharges, while many Internet service providers (ISPs) prefer a two-tier model.

The two-tiered approach has various forms in different parts of the world. In the industrialized world, where there is now frequently limited telecommunications competition as a result of cartel forming (AT&T and T-Mobile in the US) or Government intervention (most Middle East countries), these countries have begun blocking internet telephony services like Skype, Fring and other applications or charge extra fees for using these and other applications. Obviously the telecommunications industry wants to further monetize and monopolize the surge in online activity. They are saying that over the top players like Facebook and Youtube have done well in providing their services on the mobile networks, without investing in their own ISP infrastructure, even though mobile and internet providers (ISP's) are already charging customers extensive fees just to connect to the Internet.

Unfortunately even as the legislation was moving through the pipeline and gaining momentum with lawmakers, telecommunications providers were making attempts to bypass the proposed new rules. KPN, a Dutch telecommunications company, competing with Facebook, Twitter, and Instant Messaging, moved forward with a plan to charge its customers extra for using VoIP, streaming video, and sending instant messages. KPN admitted it was using deep packet inspection to monitor all Internet activity, and then classify it by application so as to make the charge-for-service scheme work. Vodaphone has admitted to using deep packet inspection as well.

European Commissioner Neelie Kroes (from the Netherlands) has spearheaded the European movement against Internet providers who want to charge more for using particular applications or services which compete with their offerings. More EU countries are expected to follow suit.

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