[Webinar] Net neutrality in Europe: The BEREC guidelines and beyond

Online

[Update] The following resources are available: the recording, the presentation, and the webinar digest.

The pendulum in the net neutrality debate has swung again, after BEREC – the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications – published a set of Guidelines on the Implementation by National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs) of European Network Neutrality Rules. What are the salient points of the guidelines? What are the stakeholders’ main concerns? Join us for a special webinar on Thursday, 6 October, to discuss these and other questions.

The BEREC guidelines are aimed at assisting national regulatory authorities in implementing their net neutrality-related obligations according to the new EU regulations (2015/2120), including by closely monitoring and ensuring ‘compliance with the rules to safeguard equal and non-discriminatory treatment of traffic in the provision of Internet access services and related end-user rights’. The Guidelines were received with enthusiasm by civil society – some of whom see them as a win for net neutrality in the EU – and with a degree of reticence by telecom operators – some of whom argue that most of their concerns have not been taken into account. Regulators say their guidelines have found a balanced solution within the frames set out by the regulation, indicated by the observation that both camps in the debate seem equally (un)happy.

Join us for our special webinar on Thursday, 6th October, at 11:00 UTC (13:00 CEST), in which Mr Frode Sørensen, Senior Adviser at Norwegian Communications Authority (Nkom) and Co-chair of the BEREC Net Neutrality Expert Working Group.

Mr Sørensen will provide a brief overview of the evolution of net neutrality and regulatory framework in Europe, and a snapshot of the BEREC’s net neutrality guidelines, and will reflect on commercial practices such as zero rating, traffic management of internet access services, the issue of specialised services, and the innovation and rights of Internet users, as well as questions raised by the participants.