Speaking at a conference held by French telecoms regulator ARCEP, the European Commissioner for Digital Agenda, Neelie Kroes, said the Internet is "not an inherently neutral platform."This means that European regulators have to make choices about whether to allow ISPs to prioritize certain types of online traffic. The European Commission will ask the public for their thoughts on Net neutrality in the upcoming months.
"Net neutrality is a subject that stirs emotions," Kroes said, adding that the debate had seen people voice fears over government censorship and the increasing commercialization of the Web.
The U.S. is addressing the same types of Net Neutrality issues. In early April, a U.S. federal appeals court ruled that regulators had limited power over Web traffic under current law. Argued on 8 January 2010, the ruling on the Comcast vs. the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will allow Internet service companies to block or slow specific sites and charge video sites to deliver faster content to users.
Read article on ZDNet UK: Internet is 'not inherently neutral,' says EU's Kroes
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