Do Internet Users Benefit from Network Neutrality?

The first thing that needs to be mentioned is what net neutrality means. In other words, this phenomenon is often called net neutrality. Net neutrality is the principle that Internet service providers should grant everyone the same right to access the Internet, without restricting the user from visiting any resources [1]. For instance, in accordance with net neutrality, the provider cannot charge a separate fee for visiting a site or restrict traffic to it. In simple words, without observing this principle, the provider may restrict access to YouTube, therefore you can only visit the resource for a fee.

Now let's turn to the history of net neutrality.

The term «net neutrality» was coined in 2007 by Tim Wu, professor at Columbia Law School. By then, the behavior of Internet service providers in the United States of America had become a long-standing problem, as they used traffic management not only to make money, but also to fight competitors. As an example, the Federal Communications Commission of the United States (FCC) fined Madison River Communications for $15 thousand for restricting its customers' access to the services of its competitor Vonage. In 2007, it became known that the second largest American provider Comcast blocks Internet traffic to some popular file sharing sites.

The principle of net neutrality was legalized in the United States in 2015, and it was supported by Barack Obama, who then served as President of the United States.

But in 2017, the situation changed. The Federal communications Commission of the United States after the start of the administration of Donald trump was replaced by the head, who said that net neutrality is a repressive norm that hinders the development of the Internet industry and restricts investment in this area.

After that, several protests were held in the United States, and the new head of the FCC, Ajit Pai, was severely criticized, including by the Internet community, but nevertheless the principle of neutrality was still canceled. In addition, this decision caused a flurry of criticism not only from ordinary American subscribers, but also from Internet corporations such as Google, Netflix and Amazone [2]. Apparently, only the Internet providers themselves reacted calmly to this event.

The discussion, which began in the United States, has also developed in Russia. Moreover, it was not limited to informational messages and, it seems, forced Russian telecom operators to think about following the example of their Western colleagues.

At least, such proposals were received by the government from the association called «Media-Communication Union», which includes Tricolor TV, MTS, MegaFon, Beeline and Rostelecom — all major players in the Russian telecommunications market.

In response, the state authorities assured that the abolition of the principles of net neutrality is out of the question, but the interest of the situation is that in Russian laws, net neutrality is not fixed. If you search carefully, the mention of neutrality in the context of data transmission over the Internet can be found on the website of the FAS-the Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia, from whose pen the «Basic Document on Network Neutrality» came out. This document literally states the following: «The principles of net neutrality are understood as the conditions for interaction between end users, content providers, applications and services, and telecom operators that ensure open and non-discriminatory use of the internet for the dissemination and access to information and services» [3].

That is, the FAS shares a positive attitude to the principle of net neutrality and insists that telecom operators should not discriminate against the data transmitted through them depending on their supplier and should not interfere in the exchange of information, except in cases where this is necessary for the normal functioning of the network, for example, during DDoS attacks.

For example, we can evaluate the current range of Megafon tariffs, which implies unlimited access to various services, such as WhatsApp, Viber, VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, Facebook in a tariff designed primarily for communication [4]. MTS tariffs offer a choice between unlimited TV in the branded app, YouTube, social networks or video calls [5].

And this is only a small part of the examples. Until recently, in the USA, all of the above would have been clearly interpreted as a violation of net neutrality and would have been stopped by the Federal Communications Commission.

Russian telecom operators also provide advantages to individual services without problems and attention from government agencies, so there is no question of network neutrality in its classical sense in Russia.

At the same time, the Federal Antimonopoly Service definitely has some influence on the policy of telecom operators regarding new tariffs, cooperation with Internet companies and manipulation of traffic passing through their networks. thus, the uncertainty regarding net neutrality, the lack of transparency of the requirements of state authorities to telecom operators observed in our country, hinders the development of the market.

In this context, events in the United States of America can have a positive impact on the situation in Russia. The main thing is that they acted as a catalyst for public discussion of the problem, and, in the opinion of this author, it does not matter whether the supporters of net neutrality or its opponents will get their way.

Uncertainty shackles and its elimination, the final decision in favor of one or another approach and a clear consolidation of the chosen position in the laws will definitely have a positive impact on the telecommunications market.

References:

1. Patrick Maill ́e, Gwendal Simon, Bruno Tuffin. Toward a Net Neutrality Debate that Conforms to the 2010s. IEEE Communications Maga- zine, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 2016, 54 (3), pp.94–99// http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=7432154>.
2. J. Brodkin. Netflix performance on Verizon and Comcast has been dropping for months. Ars Technica, Feb 2014.
3. URL: https://fas.gov.ru/documents/562718
4. URL: https://moscow.megafon.ru/tariffs/all/
5. URL: https://moskva.mts.ru/personal/mobilnaya-svyaz/tarifi/vse-tarifi/dla-smartfona