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| European Parliament votes against net neutrality amendments | European Parliament votes against net neutrality amendments |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| The European Parliament has voted against a set of rules intended to safeguard "net neutrality" in the EU. | The European Parliament has voted against a set of rules intended to safeguard "net neutrality" in the EU. |
| A series of amendments to a regulation on how internet traffic is managed in Europe were all rejected by MEPs. | A series of amendments to a regulation on how internet traffic is managed in Europe were all rejected by MEPs. |
| Proponents of net neutrality, who demand that web traffic be treated equally by networks, have already criticised the move. | Proponents of net neutrality, who demand that web traffic be treated equally by networks, have already criticised the move. |
| The existing legislation, which was accepted, will be developed into regulations. | The existing legislation, which was accepted, will be developed into regulations. |
| Campaigners have said that provisions for protecting net neutrality in the existing regulation are too vague and many worry that it will be easy for internet firms to strike deals with content providers which may not be advantageous for everyone. | |
| For example, it is thought that so-called "zero rating" agreements, in which customers can access certain firms for free outside their data plans, might become more widespread. | |
| While this might be beneficial for those who want to access content from those providers, others worry that it will stifle innovation. | |
| Clear vote | |
| Although some campaigners had suggested there might be growing support for the amendments within the parliament, all were voted down in large majorities. | |
| It is thought that many MEPs would have been reluctant to begin a process of amending the regulation given that it might have delayed another aspect of the rules - the abolishment of mobile data roaming charges. | |
| The result is "hardly surprising" according to legal expert Chris Marsden at the University of Sussex, given that many of the major parties represented in the parliament all supported the regulation text without amendments. | |
| The Body of European Regulators (BEREC) would now have nine months to issue guidelines to bodies like Ofcom in the UK, he added. | |
| "So, [by] September next year we will have the guidelines and the real enforcement work begins," he told the BBC. | |
| One German MEP described the outcome as "regrettable" and added that he felt the regulations as passed do not include a clear definition of net neutrality to inform regulators. | |
| Prior to the vote, the inventor of the world wide web Sir Tim Berners-Lee and a host of tech companies - including Netflix, Reddit and Kickstarter - had expressed their support for the amendments and urged MEPs to vote them through. |