INTERNET : MEPS ADOPT MUDDLED POSITION ON TELECOMS PACKAGE.

• Position: Member of the European Parliament

Enthusiastic on roaming, they are divided on net neutrality

MEPs are more divided than ever after the Committee on Industry's (ITRE) vote on a report by Pilar del Castillo (EPP, Spain) on the single digital market, on 18 March. On the one hand, the end of roaming charges in 2015 unleased an avalanche of enthusiastic press releases by MEPs. On the other, the measures on net neutrality triggered hostile and contradictory reactions.

The right's amendment on the net, adopted by a large majority, manages to antagonise telecoms operators and broadcasters, consumer organisations and civil society, as well as content providers.

For the Socialists and the Greens, it will be "hasta la victoria" since they plan to maintain in plenary the amendment rejected by the EP committee. "Net neutrality is still a red line," declared Socialist Catherine Trautmann.

The shadow rapporteur for the Greens, Swedish Pirate Party member Amelia Andersdotter, says the problem is that the text proposed by the European Commission was bad. The work of MEPs, forced to adopt a position in six months, therefore consists of limiting the damage.

Roaming: Predictably, the del Castillo report provides for abolishing, on 15 December 2015, the extra charges for calls and text messages across member state borders. This measure was immediately applauded by MEPs and Commissioner Neelie Kroes. The case of data transfers is less clear-cut since internet access from a mobile device in roaming mode will be free only up to a certain limit, beyond which nothing is clear.

A safety net is also needed to prevent consumers from buying a package rate in one country and using it permanently on a roaming basis in another. It will be for the Commission to spell out when roaming is being used "abusively". The legal uncertainty will therefore continue for operators and consumers alike.

Net neutrality: The debate focuses on the latitude available to operators to offer a better transmission rate for certain internet services. According to del Castillo, her text will permit operators to offer a better quality connection for paid "specialised services," such as TV on demand, while guaranteeing that other content will not be blocked. The Socialists and Greens do not see things in that light at all. Their key point is that the very principle of 'neutrality' is defined only in a recital...