Norwegian ISP wants content providers to pay up

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The Consumer Council of Norway (CCN) strongly reacts to Telenor’s plans for charging content providers such as YouTube, VG and NRK for video content. – This is in clear violation of the intentions of the network neutrality guidelines, says CCN’s Thomas Nortvedt.

Øyvind Herseth Kaldestad Kommunikasjonsrådgiver forbrukerpolitikk, 26.01.2011 13:12

Yesterday, Norway’s largest ISP stated that they wanted internet- and mobile network customers as well as the content providers to pay for content going through Telenor’s network as the increase in such traffic has been substantial over the last years.

The Consumer Council of Norway (CCN) is convinced that Telenor’s plan to prioritise content providers that pay up is a step in the wrong direction.

- Most internet service providers already charge customers according to their need and use of capasity, says Thomas Nortvedt, head of section for digital services in CCN.

- Telenor’s new plan is a clear violation of the intentions set out by the Norwegian guidelines for network neutrality that they signed two years ago.

Network neutrality

Norwegian ISPs, representatives of the IT community, the Post- and Telecommunications Authority and CCN all signed the neutrality guidelines in 2009.

The Consumer Council is disappointed and surprised that Telenor now want to pull the plug on a deal they negotiated and signed only a short while ago.

- When Telenor’s CTO, Rolv-Erik Spilling, say that they want to differentiate between content from those who pay extra and the “freeloaders”, its clearly violating the net neutrality principles, continues Nortvedt.

The plans further breaks the tradition of not demanding pay to prioritise single service providers or types of content.

- Telenor’s network regime will harm innovation and make it harder for small-scale, emerging businesses to succeed. And that’s not even counting the number of NGOs, bloggers or individuals who will be stuck in Telenor’s second grade network.

Muddled interests

- It seems like Telenor has forgotten that without content, people would not need internet access. At the same time, it is precisely innovations such as YouTune or web-tv services that make people willing to pay more for extra capasity, says Thomas Nortvedt.

CCN is of the opinion that we are in danger of having a situation where ISPs offer their own services and content at higher quality than content from their competitors.

- When Telenor both control your internet connection as well as the music streaming service Wimp, its clear that we need predictable guidelines that grant everyone, also competitors such as Spotify, the same access and quality, continues Thomas Nortvedt.

- We are convinced that Telenor’s plan to prioritise content providers that pay up is a step in the wrong direction, says Thomas Nortvedt in the CCN. (Foto: )