Net neutrality guarantees open and free access to the Internet
From April 30, 2016, net neutrality must be observed throughout Europe, following the adoption of an EU regulation in late-2015. The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) will make sure that internet providers do not unnecessarily block or restrict access to the Internet. On August 30, 2016, BEREC, the European network of telecom regulators, will issue guidelines in which the European net neutrality rules will be explained in further detail.
No tariff discrimination
Internet providers are not allowed to block any content, and they cannot slow down, restrict or discriminate against certain services either. Examples of such services are computer programs or apps that are used to make calls or to send and receive messages.
According to the Dutch legislature, the European rules do not allow any form of tariff differentiation. This means that internet providers must charge the same tariff for all data traffic. Internet providers are therefore not allowed, the Dutch legislature says, to charge a higher tariff (or a lower tariff for that matter) for certain programs and services.
Free dissemination of information
Net neutrality means that internet providers are not allowed to distinguish between different types of data such as content or apps over the Internet. Having an open internet is critical for the free dissemination of information, and for the development of innovative services. One such service is, for example, ‘video on demand’: watching a movie on a movie channel or watching any missed shows. For the application of the net neutrality rules, it does not matter what kind of device consumers access the Internet with: the rules apply equally to tablets, smartphones and computers.
Do you get the download speed which you pay for?
Another consequence of the European regulation on net neutrality is that consumers are able to get a partial refund if the difference between the advertised download speed and their actual download speed is too big. Internet providers are therefore required to inform consumers clearly about the download speeds they are paying for. ACM is working on a measuring system with which consumers are able to check the quality of their internet connections themselves.
More information on ConsuWijzer
In order to inform consumers properly, ACM has uploaded up-to-date information to its consumer information portal ConsuWijzer. Background information and answers to frequently-asked questions can be found there.