back to article Leaked: Mobile operators' SCARE campaign against net neutrality

Europe’s mobile phone operators are so worried about the effects of a proposed net neutrality law on their businesses that they appear to have planned to scare politicians out of passing it. A leaked document from the GSMA, the global mobile phone operators' association, reveals a campaign strategy that plays on people's …

  1. SolidSquid

    Is Vodafone *really* trying to spin this as the EU trying to pass a law that would prevent blocking of illegal materials? I seriously doubt it would have gotten through if that were the case, since afaik every country in Europe has laws for blocking that kind of thing

  2. GettinSadda

    Not to worry...

    The ASA will ensure that six months after this campaign is over the companies will be sent a letter telling them that the misleading adverts must no longer be used!

  3. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
    Childcatcher

    There are enough arguments against "net neutrality" proposals...

    ...the biggest of which is that proponents are not sure what it is about in the first place.

    There is no need to stoop to "think of the children" bullshit.

    1. Ragarath

      Re: There are enough arguments against "net neutrality" proposals...

      I hope your trying to get peoples backs up with this DAM, either that or you are wilfully ignorant. Anyone that works in or around computers and the interconnected networks of the world knows what it is about.

      They may have different versions how it should be implemented. But they all boil down to one core thing, all data should be treated equally. Not hard to define is it?

      1. h4rm0ny

        Re: There are enough arguments against "net neutrality" proposals...

        >><"They may have different versions how it should be implemented. But they all boil down to one core thing, all data should be treated equally. Not hard to define is it?"

        Actually, that's not a good definition. A better one is that all PROVIDERS of data should be treated equally. There are good reasons why you might want to prioritize packets of streaming video or voice calls over an email or a torrent of a GNU/Linux distro. It's okay for different TYPES of data to be treated differently. What's not okay is if Google's streaming video gets treated as a priority over some other video sharing website.

        1. Tom 35

          all PROVIDERS of data should be treated equally.

          That's a good start. Just need something for phone companies who might think routing ALL VoIP data through Narnia is a good idea, or cable TV companies who do the same for ALL streaming video.

        2. Ragarath

          Re: There are enough arguments against "net neutrality" proposals...

          Hey h4rm0ny, this is what I was on about in my post.

          This is a different implementation. You are just saying here that all data of the same service type should be treated equally. This is no different than saying all data must be treated equally, it is just a different way of doing it where everyone should treat different services each in a different but equal way.

          As I said it is the implementations of the core idea that people's opinions differ over, not the idea itself.

  4. Will Godfrey Silver badge
    Unhappy

    What more can you say, when you already have utter contempt for these greedy bastards?

  5. NP-Hardass

    As I learn more...

    I grow more and more sick of "Think of the children!!!"

  6. frank ly

    Pure BS to the max.

    "The proposals would have prevented network operators from blocking access, on a voluntary basis, to websites hosting illegal child sex abuse material."

    That is the purest lying bullshit I've ever read. I'm sure I don't need to explain why.

    1. frank ly

      Re: Pure BS to the max. Correction

      I got that wrong. Since he did say, "on a voluntary basis", he is technically correct. The IWF 'ban list' has no force in law and so ISP blocking is voluntary on their part. They block because the government threatened to wrap them up in legal red tape if they didn't.

      So, it's purest twisted weasel-logic bullshit.

  7. DPWDC

    They could have just said:

    "Won't som...........ebody th............ink o.................f th..............e

    *buffering 25%* *buffering 50%* *buffering 75%* *buffering 99%* *buffering 99%* *buffering 99%*

    child......... ren!"

    1. Beau
      Childcatcher

      A good strategy?

      An up vote for you Sir, as you are right.

      Sadly though, they could well win with this sort of strategy.

      Just think what the Daily Mail can make of this, "save the children," is right up their street.

      You must know, everyone believes, every thing, that is printed in the Daily Mail.

  8. Tromos

    "...bypass the operators' traditional revenue generators..."

    But they are not bypassing the newer revenue generators. These greedy bastards just want to be paid twice over.

  9. ecofeco Silver badge

    Just heard some more FUD the other day

    Was talking to someone on this subject and they seem to think that Net Nute means they will no longer be able use proxy surfing and will encroach in other ways on their privacy.

    Just a heads up to anyone who might run across this.

  10. Dr. Mouse

    The European Parliament proposals would therefore have rendered the UK Internet Watch Foundation's voluntary scheme unworkable.

    I have to say... Good!

    While I obviously don't agree with child porn being freely available on the internet, the IWF volutary system is a bad system. It relies on a bunch of unaccountable people effectively breaking the law (by downloading/possessing/viewing CP) to build a list which ISPs must "voluntarily" block in full. They cannot correct mistakes themselves. These busy bodies also are not legal authorities, so can (and have) banned legal images, which then affect legitimate sites who have very little recourse.

    So, if the IWF is stopped, we should get an accountable, legal framework to do this properly.

    Of course, this could end up being even worse, but at least it would be accountable.

  11. eJ2095

    Vodafone....

    Not one to say but doesn't Vodafone crappy network already stutter drop calls etc..

    Must be net neutral already then...... (wait for the adverts off voda for this saying its a feature)

  12. Anonymous Coward
    WTF?

    I for once

    don't mind if Vodafone gets its way, but only if they stop peados from using the roads. Peados drivers are the worst scumb on Earth because they make me arrive late to work.

    Yep, nonsense induce more nonsense.

  13. Henry Wertz 1 Gold badge

    I assume this will fail...

    I assume this misinformation campaign will fail. If the below is too long to read, in short Verizon (and AT&T) have tried misinformation campaigns here to try to charge companies to provide decent access to their services, and make it out like it's those companies fault if their videos buffer or whatever. Those companies have responded by refusing to pay, and popping up information making it clear it's Verizon's or AT&T's fault and showing comparative speeds of other local ISPs that are maintaining their internet connectivity properly. I don't know if it's been long enough for people to flee AT&T and Verizon yet, but in the longer term that's what would happen.

    Verizon has recently failed to buy an adequate connection at at least one internet exchange, because Netflix is a large customer at this IXP. Verizon claims "Netflix isn't paying their fair share". Verizon wants people to ignore the fact that Netflix *is* paying for their access to the internet exchange points just as Verizon is, and that Netflix is NOT Verizon's customer. Verizon wants to double-dip by continuing to charge their customers full price (who are after all paying for *internet* access, not just access to Verizon's private network), while charging Netflix a second time for the Internet access Verizon's actual customers are already paying for.

    This has failed spectacularly, Netflix and Youtube (among others) have refused to pay up since they already pay for their internet connectivity. People with any knowledge of Internet connectivity know Verizon isn't owed a penny, Verizon is the one cheaping out and Netflix *is* paying their fair share already. Those *not* in the know just know that Verizon's service has started to suck recently. Netflix and Youtube (among others) now helpfully have a little bar pop up if a video starts buffering that is like "Buffering? Click here to find out why", which explains the Verizon situation and then shows your speed along with typical (much much higher) Netflix and Youtube speeds from ISPs in your area. I don't know if there's any significant churn from this yet but it hasn't gone the way Verizon wanted for sure.

    AT&T was planning to artificially degrade service of services who did not pay their double-dip (rather than failing to upgrade a connection to an internet exchange point), with similar result -- a few companies paid, but now the rest have drawn a line in the sand are making it clear to everyone that service problems are AT&T's fault.

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Speech neutrality

    I propose a law on free speech neutrality, whereby actual voters speaking in a personal capacity get their speech prioritised over anyone who uses "think of the children/terrorists" as an argument and corporate disinformation campaigners for businesses that stash all their money in the Cayman Islands. Oh yeah, and Old Etonians.

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