UK government consults on net neutrality

NET NEUTRALITY is the focus of a UK government consultation taking place in the next few months involving roundtables with industry, citizen and consumer groups.

The Office of Communications, Ofcom, has produced a document for discussion about traffic management and net neutrality. It wants to discuss how it should deal with these issues and what stance the government should take on any potential anti-competitive discrimination that could take place through Internet traffic manipulation.

Ofcom has powers and duties in this area and these will be added to by amended European Union rules to be transposed into UK law in 2011.

Ofcom said, "Other countries including the US, Canada, France, Norway and Sweden have adopted or are considering some form of regulatory requirements relating to traffic management. The European Commission is due to publish a consultation on the issue this summer."

In the US the Federal Communications Commission is undertaking a series of confidential meetings with cable and phone companies about net neutrality and campaign groups are advertising their opposition to what they see as a secretive consultation process. µ