Net neutrality, whether good or bad, is still up for debate, although for the most part it seems like many are leaning towards being pro net neutrality. In fact recently President Obama stepped forward to urge the FCC to protect net neutrality and that’s where we can see the divide as the FCC’s chairman stated that he could be considering heading in another direction.
Well it seems that over in Germany, the German Chancellor Angela Merkel appears to be against net neutrality. Speaking at the Digitising Europe conference in Berlin, Merkel has offered an alternative solution in the form of a two-tier internet system. One lane of the internet should be kept as it is, free and neutral like it is now for the most part. The other lane on the other hand will be reserved for special services that might require faster speeds.
However both internet services are expected to run over the same infrastructure. According to Merkel, “An innovation-friendly internet means that there is a guaranteed reliability for special services. These can only develop when predictable quality standards are available.” Exactly what such a system would work and be regulated is unclear, but reports have suggested that the German government is onboard with that plan.
It is also unclear and undefined at the moment as to what constitutes as a special service, although in her proposal, video-on-demand services would constitute as a service that would be eligible for the faster and dedicated internet channel. It’s an interesting idea but what do you guys think?
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