BEREC Net Neutrality Guidelines Stop Short of Outright Bans, But Otherwise Hamstring Growth of Innovative Internet Services

WASHINGTON—The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a tech policy think tank, today released the following statement from Doug Brake, telecom policy analyst, on the Body of European Regulators of Electronic Communications’ (BEREC) new guidelines on EU-wide open Internet rules:

It is good news that BEREC stopped short of categorical bans on offerings like prioritization of traffic, zero-rating, and specialized services, despite fervent calls to do so by net neutrality activists. But beyond that, the guidelines are unnecessarily prescriptive, setting detailed restrictions on each of these practices that will likely diminish pro-competitive, pro-consumer broadband-based offerings. We hope the continued success of zero-rating and specialized services sees an easing of these restrictions over time at the nation-state level.