The way Europe's Net works

Instead of network neutrality regulations, Europe has opted for unregulated competition to guard against anti-competitive behavior on the Internet.

The European Union’s “competitive Internet offers” and ease of “switching” providers should not be underestimated for its role in supporting regulation-free net neutrality, Neelie Kroes, the European Commission’s vice president and the European digital agenda commissioner, said in a November speech. As proof of her confidence in the marketplace, Kroes later said that people cut off from Skype should vote with their feet and leave their mobile provider. “A healthy competitive environment allows tackling many potential problems at their root, avoiding the emergence of monopolistic gatekeepers, which could create serious dangers for net neutrality,” Kroes said. “This is why the debate is different here than in the United States.”