The Internet is now our main access to information and social networks allow us to communicate freely but also impose themselves as sources of information. If the system still recently benefited from a form of neutrality (referred to as Net Neutrality and which consisted of requiring providers to treat all data flows on the Internet equally), the United States government recently voted for repeal this principle, and he is not alone. Thus, like Donald Trump, Portugal currently authorizes the principle of non-neutrality of the supplier, allowing for example one of its operators to offer a more expensive rate to its users wishing to watch streaming videos, or a different package to have access to social networks. A decision that could even affect the markets.
What is Net Neutrality?
A founding principle of the Internet established in 2003 by American lawyer Tim Wu and protected by President Obama, the concept of Net Neutrality prohibits access providers from practicing any form of discrimination with regard to the source of an Internet page. In other words, operators do not have the right to grant more or less bandwidth to one site or another on the basis of commercial agreements, the ultimate goal being to protect freedom of expression, small businesses and consumers from a sort of two-speed Internet, where anything goes.
What is the opinion of the European Union and the rest of the world on net neutrality?
The issue is, above all, democratic. As the streaming video company Netflix declared on Twitter, “Net neutrality has ushered in an era of innovation, creativity, and civic engagement. […] Netflix supports innovators of all sizes and opposes this misguided decision by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).” Translation: without net neutrality, the startups, new publications, and SMEs of this world will have no chance of making a place in the markets if they do not have the necessary resources.
While Emmanuel Macron’s France and Angela Merkel’s Germany seem well equipped to lead their own campaigns for free speech and net neutrality, and the European Union is currently not considering supporting Trump’s decision, it remains likely that the repeal of the Net Neutrality law will have an impact on other European markets, particularly in those nations that look to America as a kind of God-leader.
India has already taken a position in banning the app Facebook Basic, which violated the concept of neutrality by offering, in certain underdeveloped countries, free access to certain services, the choice of which was controlled by the social network.
Will the US decision have an impact on the rest of the world?
It is not excluded that a service that has become more expensive in the United States will be forced to increase its prices in the rest of the world. In addition, certain financial markets could be impacted, such as Facebook, Twitter or Amazon. And in general, investments in the stock market on free platforms like ProRealTime may be affected without unlimited and instant access to market prices and analysis. There is also the question of freedom of expression and access to information which could be compromised by this bias.
