A Call for More Clarity on Net Access in Europe

In Europe, the debate over unrestricted Internet access — so-called network neutrality — has shifted to a core question: How much should the European Union intervene when mobile Internet service providers restrict Web access?

Neelie Kroes, the European commissioner for telecommunications, raised the issue late last month when she announced an effort to require clearer and more truthful descriptions of Internet service practices, particularly for mobile contracts. Commissioner Kroes made the announcement after Berec, the European Commission’s telecommunications advisory panel, calculated that mobile operators restricted rival services for 20 percent of European consumers. In some smaller European countries, Berec said, 95 percent of consumers may have restricted access. Commissioner Kroes said she intended to push operators to clearly disclose Web restrictions as well as potential minimum Internet speeds, not just the maximums that operators promote in advertisements. The European neutrality debate has involved greater legal scrutiny of the traffic management strategies used by mobile operators. Current law permits European operators to manage traffic and assure adequate speeds and access for all.