Net neutrality rules softened in the US

Campaigners for a free Internet suffered a defeat in the US on Thursday. The country's top media regulator, the Federal Communications Commission, voted to dismantle the strict rules that ensure that all data is treated equally on the web. Commentators look at what the abolishment of net neutrality means.

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Le Monde (FR) /

Losing equal opportunities

The FCC's decision goes against one of the Internet's basic principles, Le Monde points out:

“In allowing the big telecommunications companies to give preference to certain services, the FCC runs the risk of suffocating the very thing that has made the web as successful as it is: boundless innovation - both in the negative and positive sense - and equal opportunities. European law is wiser and has guaranteed the principle of net neutrality since 2016: European Internet service providers may not discriminate against data posted online, and users can publish content without restrictions. Also notable is the fact that a debate is emerging about the neutrality of unavoidable platforms like Google and Facebook. And that's a good thing too!”

ABC (ES) /

Global economy needs neutral net

Without equal opportunities on the Internet there can be no free competition, ABC warns:

“Competition on the digital market will become more complex because providers can prioritise the services of certain companies over those of others or even block the latter. That will make things difficult for startups, because their success often depends on their being able to make themselves known among users. In addition, given that the major Internet providers are based in the US, this measure could have international repercussions. Net neutrality is important because it allows equal opportunities for both users and companies.”