This net neutrality rule has real consequences for cellular data bills

A lack of network neutrality rules can have real-world consequences on wireless data prices, according to a new study by Epicenter.works. The new data from dozens of countries in the European Union suggest that when a country allows zero-rating programs, it ends up seeing an increase in wireless prices over time. The study looks into 30 member countries of the EU which diversify in the way that they enforce net neutrality rules. The countries that prohibited zero-rating programs saw around a 10 percent drop in the price of wireless data after a year. Prices increased incrementally for countries that have no restrictions on these programs.

Zero-rating programs were explicitly prohibited in the Federal Communications Commission’s Open Internet Order in 2015, which also required internet service providers to abstain from blocking or throttling consumer internet service. When the Ajit Pai administration rolled back those rules a year ago, it allowed carriers like AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint to create these programs again since they were no longer against the agency’s rules.