Today, the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) published its guidelines on net neutrality.

This is a victory for civil society, whose relentless involvement secured the principles of a free and open internet in Europe. By demanding strong net neutrality in record numbers, Europeans managed to overcome massive lobbying by the telecom industry and narrowly avert a catastrophe for the internet.

It has to be noted with regret that it was not our digital Commissioner Günther Oettinger who listened to the people and defended an internet not biased towards big corporate interests, but the regulator body BEREC. The precise interpretation of the rules BEREC presented today defuses most of the risks left in the legislation by the other EU institutions. One issue we will need to stay vigilant of is the anti-competitive practice of zero-rating, where decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Today is a day for celebration, and a day to express our thanks to the campaigners who helped achieve this victory. Nevertheless, I fear this won’t be the last time the people have had to rise up to ‘save the internet’ from unscrupulous business interests and politicians who do not grasp the consequences of their proposals to regulate the internet.

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