Yeah, this is pretty awesome for us Dutch (all 16 million of them) here in this glorified swamp. Today, our new telecommunications act was accepted by the senate – usually a formality, but still a possible point of failure. Why is this news? Well, this new telecommunications act includes unconditional net neutrality, making us the second country in the world to codify unconditional net neutrality (after Chile). Mobile or regular, net neutrality for all. We’re running ahead of Europe here, so hopefully the rest of the EU is going to just copy/paste this one.
Congratulations, I hope the rest of the continent will follow soon.
Expect the European Commission to dissuade other countries from following. When Neelie Kroes, Commissioner for Digital Agenda says:
April 2010:
“I will not support any outcome that puts into danger freedom of expression. In a complex system like the internet, it must be crystal clear what the practices of operators controlling the network mean for all users, including consumers.”
“National Regulatory Authorities are required to promote ‘the ability of end-users to access and distribute information or run applications and services of their choice’. This sets a very important principle for net neutrality, as it recognises and safeguards the basic freedoms of internet users.”
“Net neutrality is a subject that stirs emotions. Everyone has an opinion and, so far, this has not led to an agreement on what net neutrality actually means.”
then, in October 2011:
“I regret very much that the Netherlands seems to be moving unilaterally on this issue. We must act on the basis of facts, not passion; acting quickly and without reflection can be counterproductive.”
then in April 2012:
“I am committed to safeguarding net neutrality. Everyone should have the option of full access to a robust, best-efforts Internet. But, once again, openness here is a subtle term. For me it does not mean banning all targeted or limited offers: it means being transparent about them, and giving consumers a free and easy choice as to whether they want them; in the full confidence that full access is also easily available.”
it’s clear she’s going to discourage other countries from making the same unconditional guarantee. She wants to redefine the notion of net neutrality so she can promote a watered-down version. The Netherlands has set a dangerous precedent by embracing the idea wholeheartedly.
Note to Neelie Kroes: openness is only a subtle term to those who support censorship.
And what was the cost to the poorest people?
This government intervention led to an immediate increase in cost. The only beneficiaries are the rich yuppies who know how to employ voip over their mobiles.
It is nonsensical to claim that the cost of transmitting http is the same as voip, so it’s basically another subsidy from the poor to the rich.
Seriously laughing out loud right now. The poor seem to be far better than the rich at finding cheap ways, that require just a little extra effort, to do the same thing.
Thankfully you don’t have many of those in .nl. But anyway, I’m sure competition will compensate shortly and lower the prices for everyone (at least this is what happened in motherland).
Wonderful news, now wait for the onslaught of US companies moving their servers
Sadly the Goose Stepping US Federal Agents that raided the MegaUpload servers, residents, bank accounts in New Zealand twisted the corrupt US arm of the US Dept. of InJustice so far they publicly stated ANY website in a foreign nation which accepted US Currency would be forced to adhere to US laws and injustice.
MegaUPload’s foreign bank accounts, homes, autos seized along with well over 1 Million dollars in servers and IT equipment. The US Federal Goons hoping to flip some lower level MegaUpload employees or contractors like hotcakes even charged a part time MegaUpload Web designer with a 15-25 US Federal Prison charge likely to flip him against the others.
Imagine how utterly depraved the US Dept. of Injustice has become when a part-time web designer on a foreign website is hit by a goose stepping 15-25 year prison sentence!
Thankfully the MegaUPload team weren’t totally cleaned out of assets, cash and resources which the team of US Federal agents entirely attempted to do, so MegaUPload assembled a top defense team of attorneys and have begun rolling back the corrupt charges US Federal agents attempted to fly in New Zealand and other foreign nations against them. The entire US Federal scheme it appears was to totally gut the defendants of all ability to mount a reasonable legal defense against a legion of illegal charges, seizures and goose stepping actions.
Back to the US Dept. of Injustice and the Obama Administrations spew that any website which accepts US Currency is subject to all of USA’s laws. Such is a complete and total corrupt distortion of International laws and Foreign Nations sovereign rights.
If nations and Individuals don’t push back against US/Israeli outright fascist actions in foreign nations affairs, on foreign citizens in those foreign nations and directly interfering with the sovereign rights of the citizens and foreign nations, then US/Israeli serial criminal acts of routinely breaking International laws and treaty’s will simply continue again and again.
Shortly after US/Israel allegedly unleashed Stuxnet 1 on Iran targeting the very popular Siemens electronic control module, the Stuxnet Virus/Worm had infected 10’s of Thousands of business’s in India, USA and Globally placing many civilians in direct risk by heavy commercial equipment failing due to faulty commands from the extremely popular Siemens control modules. A similar backlash occurred with Stuxnet 2 and recently with the alleged US/Israeli Gov. infecting Iran’s pipeline computer stations with a virus which NOW is affecting US and other Nations Pipeline stations globally.
That is precisely what happens when nations are allowed to flaunt International Laws, they are serial criminals who simply continue such depravity until they are stopped or thrown in prison. Business’s using the Siemen’s control modules should join in a global class action lawsuit against Israel/US and Business’s whose pipeline stations have been infected by the Israeli/US pipeline virus should also join in a global class action lawsuit against Israel/US sueing them for BILLIONS in lost revenue, damages and repair costs.