VIDEO INTERVIEW: The net neutrality guidelines drawn up by EU regulatory body Berec are taking the mobile industry “one step backwards”, according to Peter Olson, Ericsson’s head of European affairs.

Olson is supportive of the original net neutrality regulation, included in last year’s telecoms reform package, but believes Berec’s interpretation of the package for national regulators is not heading in the right direction.

The deadline for comments on the guidelines was 18 July and it received half a million responses, an unprecedented level of interest.

“I am worried that the implementation guidelines from Berec are actually going one step backwards, it is bringing back some of the language we don’t want to have, which makes it very prescriptive,” said Olson, whose comments were made prior to last week’s deadline.

GSMA concern
Olson is not the only one voicing similar criticism. The GSMA expressed its “deepest concern” about the guidelines.

“The draft guidelines are overly-prescriptive in their reliance on ex-ante prohibitions, as opposed to the ex-post approach set forth in the regulation,” said the GSMA.

“This goes far beyond the mandate given to Berec in the regulation, paving the way to litigation and hence creating legal uncertainty,” it added.

Both Olson and the GSMA note that Berec also attempts to introduce a definition on specialised services, which could actually slow down their development.

However, there are loud voices from the opposing camp, arguing for Berec to spell out precisely the terms for net neutrality, believing this will see freedoms better safguarded.

Individual activists and concerned consumers likely swelled the number of respondents to the EU body’s consultation. There will be numerous companies and trade groups contributing to the process too.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), for instance, urged Berec to apply strong net neutrality rules.

“The implementation of net neutrality rules must not result in the creation of an internet ‘slow lane’ alongside internet ‘toll roads’ which are prohibitively expensive or restricted on the basis of the network’s strategic interests,” said the EBU’s head of European Affairs, Nicola Frank.

The diversity of responses will likely keep Berec’s hands full until it produces its final recommendation on net neutrality next month.

View the full video interview with Ericsson’s exec here.