Tech criticizes European net neutrality bill

Tech companies and advocacy groups are criticizing a draft net neutrality bill in the European Union’s parliament they say would allow internet service providers to arbitrarily slow web traffic.

The letter, signed by companies including Netflix, Reddit and backbone Internet service provider Cogent, asked members of the parliament to close what they see as loopholes in the law. Net neutrality, the principal the bill is designed to safeguard, is the idea that all traffic on the Internet should be treated the same way.

{mosads}The groups said the bill’s language would allow service providers to prioritize traffic from companies that paid them for the privilege. At issue is an exemption in the bill that allows “specialized services” to gain access to so-called fast lanes — which advocates claim could be exploited by companies who want networks to favor their traffic.

“If some companies can pay to be in a fast lane, it will be more difficult for EU residents to access websites that can’t afford to pay extra fees,” they said in the letter. “EU-based start-ups and small businesses would be left behind, unable to compete.”

The firms also said they were concerned the law would allow so-called zero-rating, which is when providers don’t dock a customer’s data allowances for accessing certain applications, which can discriminate against certain types of traffic and slow traffic at any time because of “impending congestion.”

The bill in Europe is scheduled to be considered on Tuesday. Its defenders say talk of loopholes is overblown. In response to concerns about the “specialized services” section of the bill, the European Parliament said last week that the draft guarantees that service providers can’t “restrict bandwidth and speed for everyday internet users and websites.”

“Priority in online traffic will be given to matters such as sensitive healthcare data, remote surgery, driverless cars and preventing terrorist attacks,” it said.

Tech groups though said European lawmakers should look to the Federal Communications Commission’s net neutrality rules, which went into effect earlier this year, as a model. The rules ban three practices outright — slowing traffic, blocking it or allowing companies to pay for faster service — and also include a broader standard for service providers to abide by.

“These rules foster innovation, competition, and infrastructure deployment. U.S. companies would have not been able to compete or flourish without it,” the letter writers said. “We want all companies around the world to enjoy the same protections.”

While they were backed by major tech companies, the FCC’s rules are still controversial. Conservatives argue that they over-regulate internet providers. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), a presidential candidate, called the rules “ObamaCare for the internet” last year.

Several industry groups, along with AT&T, have sued the FCC to challenge the rules. The case will be argued later this year