Telecoms groups warned on data charges

Article reports that the European Union Telecoms Commissioner Neelie Kroes said on the 13 April 2010 that telecoms companies would not be allowed to charge online content providers to deliver high-bandwidth content to internet users.

Telecoms groups have argued that those websites that have caused an explosion in the amount of data carried over their networks should contribute towards the cost of expanding capacity or face slower delivery of their content.

The battle has pitted companies such as Google and Skype, the internet-telephony provider, against traditional telecoms operators such as Telefónica and France Telecom that are keen to tap the newcomers' growing online advertising revenues.

European Commission: SPEECH/10/153: Net neutrality in Europe http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/10/153&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

ESO: Background information: EU battles industry plans to restrict Skype on mobile phones http://www.europeansources.info/record/eu-battles-industry-plans-to-restrict-skype-on-mobile-phones/

ESO: Background information: Net Neutrality and Open Networks – Towards a European Approach http://www.europeansources.info/record/speech-net-neutrality-and-open-networks-towards-a-european-approach/

Wikipedia: Net neutrality http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_neutrality

Google: Public Policy Blog: Hey FCC, keep the Internet open -- and awesome!, January 2010 http://googlepublicpolicy.blogspot.com/search/label/Net%20Neutrality

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