Deutsche Welle, 9 June 2013
Some
Internet services in the European Union are blocked by some providers because
they undeermine profits. Skype and Whatsapp are just two examples. The EU now
wants to take action, but critics are skeptical.
EU
commissioner Neelie Kroes last week promised new rights for every EU citizen
and new responsibilities for every Internet provider. She wants the principle
of so-called 'net neutrality' to be a legal right across the EU. All data on
the web would then be equal, and would have to be transmitted with the same
speed, regardless of where it's from or what the content is.
Currently,
that is not the case. Recently, an EU study found that within the EU
one-in-five phone connections was blocking services. Also one-in-three mobile
phone connections is being meddled with.
Often, this
affects services where the provider can't profit himself, explains Constanze
Kurz of the Chaos Computer Club (CCC) "That affects their business model
and that's why some providers have blocked that." Voice over IP software,
like Skype or messenger Whatsapp, offer services for free and are very popular
with users.
Empty
words?
 |
| Neelie Kroes has promised to take action |
If such
services get blocked, it leads to a distortion of the market, Kroes believes.
She warns that innovative services could soon be stopped from entering the EU
market.
Jan Philipp
Albrecht, however, doesn't think the commissioner's concerns should be taken at
face value. "Those are announcements that should have come years
ago," says the Green party European Parliament member. CCC spokeswoman
Kurz is equally skeptical, saying the EU was just only reacting whenever the
debate on net neutrality was urgent in one of the member states. "These
words are almost never followed by actions. Empty words are to no effect."
Paying your
way out of it
In recent
weeks, the issue of net neutrality also cropped up on the German agenda.
Internet provider Telekom, formerly state owned, announced it would limit data
flows and flatrates, beginning in 2016. After a certain amount of data usage,
the speed would then be cut significantly. Currently, the authorities are
examining whether the move by Telekom is legal, but most likely the company
will be able to go ahead with it.
Certain
services, like Internet television offered by Telekom itself, will not be
affected by the lowered Internet speed. "Also, some services will be able
to buy their way out of being affected. "This is a violation of net
neutrality," says Kurz. Smaller services possibly won't be able to pay.
 |
| Some providers don't like the likes of Skype and Whatsapp |
Kurz has
concrete examples: local radio stations, alternative video platforms,
universities offering their lectures online. "They won't have any money to
pay Telekom and would clearly be at a disadvantage."
Politicians
need to act
That's
exactly why it is so important for politicans to deal with the issue of net
neutrality, Kurz insists. Parliamentarian Albrecht agrees. "You can't wait
until the providers themselves have the idea to protect the consumers, he told
DW. "This will only happen if politicians set the course for it.
In Germany,
a 19-year-old student has called attention to the issue. He collected more than
70,000 signatures to get the German parliament to discuss the problem.
So far,
across Europe, only two countries have ensshrined net neutrality in law: The
Netherlands and Slovenia. Constance Kurz is not confident that other countries
will follow that lead any time soon. "Consumers aren't very important in
this game," she says. European providers would like to have a slice of the
big providers' pie, most of which come from the US. "But, net neutrality
isn't an issue for them. They are business-oriented companies, so it's the
state's job to set the limits here."
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