WASHINGTON—The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), a leading tech policy think tank, today released the following statement from Doug Brake, ITIF telecommunications policy analyst, on the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications’s (BEREC) launch of the public consultation for development of net neutrality guidelines:
BEREC’s guidelines for implementing the open Internet provisions of the EU telecoms regulation will be where the rubber meets the road on several key open Internet questions for the European Union.
While BEREC’s hands are tied on some of the larger net neutrality issues, like paid prioritization, the guidelines will offer clarity on important questions like the scope of specialized services—such as television over Internet protocol—and zero-rating practices. These services can happily co-exist with an open Internet. Specialized services and zero rating are economically efficient tools to see the eventual transition of legacy communications and entertainment media onto a single, converged Internet-based platform. BEREC should trust new uses of networks instead of trying to homogenize all data traffic or requiring innovators to check in with regulators.
We look forward to offering our input as BEREC moves forward with rules that reflect the realities of network management and the opportunities for new applications and business models to drive innovation throughout the Internet ecosystem. This is an opportunity for the EU to lead with clarity and flexibility for innovation in an otherwise murky and contentious area of policy.
