Ofcom opens consultation on the future of Net Neutrality in the UK: Get involved before it’s too late!
Since leaving the EU, we are no longer duty bound by regulations that protect net neutrality. If we don’t want to go the same way as the USA under Trump, we need to get our thoughts in now to prevent detrimental changes!
Net Neutrality forces networks and Internet Service Providers to treat all data equally, which prevents restricting access to certain services or purposely slowing them down – potentially to require users to pay additional fees for full access.
It’s also the reason that networks can no longer restrict tethering on your mobile phone, or slow things down when roaming.
All things that could change if the outcome of the initial consultation with Ofcom suggests changes, which will of course be suggested by the industry, and then help form future political proposals that could become law.
By the time that happens, it will be too late to do anything – so now is the time to act and register your thoughts in the consultation (links below) to make it clear that we do not want to see detrimental changes that would certainly benefit the industry, but not the consumer.
Below is my original Twitter thread:
Uh oh! We're out of the EU and Ofcom is looking at Net Neutrality (didn't take long). Ditching it will give the potential to restrict/throttle services (unless you pay more), restrict (mobile) tethering and slow down data when roaming. DON'T LET IT HAPPEN!
I have no doubt the industry will find clever ways to convince people that it's a great idea. Imagine zero-rated access to SOME services for less cost, ignoring the impact to other services. Once you lose it, you won't get it back.
Responses need to be in by November 2nd. This is only the start too, as there are no actual policy proposals yet – but we need to raise our concerns now before we get to that stage!
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/file/0016/224143/consultation-form-net-neutrality.odt
Originally tweeted by Jonathan Morris (@jmcomms) on September 7, 2021.