Net neutrality

Internet providers could limit surfing speeds or restrict access to parts of the internet in a bid to push customers to pay more to get a higher quality service. Companies could also block or slow down content or offers from competitors because it was less profitable to them. BEUC opposed such practices and stood instead for net neutrality, which is about keeping the internet open and neutral.

BEUC’s work involved working closely with digital and human rights organisations to protect the principles of openness and neutrality of the Internet in Europe, as this open letter shows.

Partly as a result of BEUC’s advocacy, the EU passed a law in 2015 which granted consumers a right to net neutrality. This helped consumers decide for themselves what to use the internet for. Without these rules, companies providing access to the internet could decide which content or programme gets to use the fast lane.

Thanks to this EU law consumers should have access to all content on any device and at any time without big telecom or internet players becoming the gatekeepers of what happens online.