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ALONGSIDE THE ANNOUNCEMENT that roaming charges will be scrapped entirely by June 2017, the European Parliament also announced a new proposal that all view all internet traffic as equal.
The terms of the proposal was decided after a late-night meeting in Brussels following months of negotiation.
Under the proposal, all users in the EU will be free to access sites without fear of being blocked or slowed down by external forces through the ‘open internet’.
Paid prioritisation will not be allowed under this open internet and blocking and throttling will only be allowed in certain circumstances like preventing traffic congestion or countering cyber-attacks.
The part that is being criticised is the inclusion of ‘specialised services’ and how it worded. The European Commission says it caters for services that would require faster connections like HD video conferencing, internet TV and telesurgery, provided they do not hinder other users.
The new EU net neutrality rules guarantee the open internet and enable the provision of specialised or innovative services on condition that they do not harm the open internet access.
It does address the concern of fair competition by saying both startups and large companies can expect the same treatment on the open internet, but the concern is that this doesn’t apply to specialised services.
It’s argued that the latter could allow anyone to pay for faster services alongside the ‘open internet’, only accessible to those who can afford it.
The other is the inclusion of zero rating or sponsored connectivity which sees operators not counting data usage for certain services, as a way of reducing the user’s monthly data usage.
What this can result in is operators pushing users away from competitors’ content by not counting them as free to use. Companies could also pay for inclusion on this to ensure they get more traffic, making it harder for up and coming companies to get a foothold.
Some organisations aren’t happy about the measures. The director general of the European Consumer Organisation Monique Goyens said the safeguards against specialised services “are not strong enough.”
A robust Net Neutrality law involves protections against undue management of traffic and discriminatory commercial practices. What Europe is essentially saying here is that all internet data is born equal, but some is more equal than others. We applaud the new onus on Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to treat traffic equally, but safeguards against the impact of ‘specialised services’ are not strong enough.
The EDRi (European Digital Rights) have called it an “abdication of responsibility,” and highlighted some key points of confusion, mainly the distinction between specialised services and the public internet and how specialised services are defined.
What is the point of agreeing to adopt legislation that makes the legal situation less clear than it was before? Now we have text which could mean almost anything – we did not need more legal uncertainty.”
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Hopefully he recovers.
No week goes by without a similar incident occurring on an Irish street.
More than likely alcohol involved yet the Alcohol lobby are still one of the the most powerful in Dail Eireann. Nothing will change until they are kicked out.
@FrankDapavia: it’s happening all over the world, not just here but it makes headline news here. Hope he recovers and gets back to normal.
@the druid: Victim blaming!! Although you’re probably right.
@Andy Dwyer:
I think he was referring to the attacker.
And it will keep happening all over Ireland while suspended sentences are the punishment of the day.
@Patabake Kennedy: The prison services dont do ‘punishment’ , its a place to house people who are a risk to society , until they can be rehabilitated and allowed to return to society.
All the usual –Free Legal Aid, suspended sentence !500 —-20.000 euros for a legal defence –courtesy of the unfortunate taxpayer—Nothing new here!
The poor man. Fingers crossed he recovers.
@Suzanne Dorgan: In a critical condition and being transferred to Beaumont Hospital is not good news means a head injury and life changing injuries if he survives…..
Every week there are issues like this in Monahan… judging by that it doesn’t seem a nice place to live..
@OCallaghan TP: Gross exaggeration there., you clearly don’t know the area. County Monaghan has had its fair share of it but no more than most towns in Ireland. It’s safer than drogheda or dundalk or dublin
@Hoggle: yeah agree,every town in the land has these drink~drug fuelled problems.
@OCallaghan TP: where’s Monahan?
@Ruairi O Neill: beside Cevan
@OCallaghan TP: Carrickmacross is a great place to live.
What’s the bets this guy has previous in this type of behavior? Probably a list as long as the sleeve of a mans shirt! Prison is for this type of guy. If he has, the people of this country have to get up off their butts and demand accountability from every judge that ever dealt with him. No space in prison is no excuse or no business of judges. That’s for the minister and we will deal with that too!
Being drunk is no excuse for savagery! If you can’t handle alcohol don’t drink! If your an alcoholic get profit help!
Instead of commenting could we all just pray for this mans recovery. What a violent country were living in
You need Robocop with you on a night out in Ireland.
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