Regulation around net neutrality has so far focused almost exclusively on internet access services, leaving other links of the value chain unexplored. However the French regulator ARCEP became the first to consider whether devices and operating systems are a weak-link in achieving an open internet.
India moves closer to protect net neutrality
Indian authorities appear to have fully embraced the stance of a strong oversight towards net neutrality. This started in 2015, with the first public consultations on the issue; continued in 2016, with the explicit ban of zero-rating; and is even more apparent in the recommendations issued by the TRAI on November 28, 2017.
FCC’s net neutrality repeal will hand back regulatory powers to the FTC
The FCC announced on November 21, 2017 that it will vote on the repeal of its Open Internet Order of 2015, which enshrines the principles of net neutrality. The proposal has been expected since the change in US administration at the start of 2017, and will likely result in a return to the pre-2015 status quo, pulling back the reclassification of broadband as a telecommunications service.
US braced for net neutrality shake-up
On 18 May 2017, the FCC will hold an open meeting during which it will consider a range of subjects. The biggest and most contentious relates to ‘restoring internet freedom’ – a vote (which is widely expected to be passed), on rolling back the net neutrality rules. Following the vote, the challenge for the FCC will be to ensure that the repeal will not result in a regulatory vacuum.
Dutch court strikes down regulator's attempt to ban zero rating
On 20 April 2017 a court in the Netherlands ruled that the regulator's ban on price discrimination violates the EU's 2016 net neutrality regulation. The court found that while T-Mobile's zero rating did violate Dutch law, the ban on price discrimination does not apply as the EU's net neutrality regulation should take precedent.
