CCIA Backs BEREC Guidelines for Net Neutrality Enforcement in Europe

The Computer and Communications Industry Association said it strongly supports final net neutrality guidelines released last week by the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications. BEREC guidelines clarify how national regulatory authorities should enforce net neutrality rules, but they don't cover services that aren't publicly available, IP interconnection services or virtual private networks (see 1608300002). In a news release Tuesday, CCIA said it supports an open platform that empowers consumers and fosters competition and growth, including building a digital single market. “BEREC is right to clarify that the regulations apply to providers of Internet access services and not to content and application providers or to websites," said CCIA Europe Vice President James Waterworth. He said "successful implementation" of the guidelines requires authorities to approach complaints on a case-by-case basis. "Whether conduct or particular programs constitute an infringement of the rules will depend on the specifics of the case and no assumptions should be made," he added.