science

Net neutrality in the Netherlands

Net neutrality in the Netherlands is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Net neutrality in the Netherlands rather than just read about it. In short: On June 4, 2012, the Netherlands became the first country in Europe and the second in the world, after Chile, to enact a network neutrality law. The main net neutrality provision of this law requires that "Providers of public electronic communication networks used to provide Internet access services as well as providers of Internet access services will not hinder or slow down services or applications on the Internet…

Key takeaways

Net neutrality in the Netherlands belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Net neutrality in the Netherlands to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Net neutrality in the Netherlands from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

On June 4, 2012, the Netherlands became the first country in Europe and the second in the world, after Chile, to enact a network neutrality law. The main net neutrality provision of this law requires that "Providers of public electronic communication networks used to provide Internet access services as well as providers of Internet access services will not hinder or slow down services or applications on the Internet".

History The 2009 EU Telecoms Package left much leeway for member states to implement their own net neutrality directives. The first proposal by the Minister of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation was submitted to the House of Representatives on November 3, 2010. In April 2011, Dutch telecommunications company KPN announced that it would start to block services such as VoIP and instant messaging unless customers paid a fee. Later that week, Vodafone said it was already blocking those services. During an investors meeting in May, KPN admitted to using deep packet inspection. These events accelerated the implementation of net neutrality, as a house majority was against the blocking of specific Internet services. On June 22, 2011, the house voted for the amendment of the Telecommunications Act with net neutrality regulations. The Labour Party mistakenly voted for an amendment supported by the Christian parties SGP, CU and CDA that would allow filtering by ISPs for ideological reasons. A rectification was later plugged into an unrelated amendment. The amendment was passed by the Senate in 2012, and with the publication of the amendment and the rectification in the official journal of the Netherlands on June 4 and June 5, respectively, network neutrality became the law.

Overview Article 7.4a of the Telecommunications Act prohibits the hindrance or slowing down of services or applications on the Internet by ISPs and network owners. Deviation from this rule is only allowed:

to reduce congestion, while treating similar traffic equally; to preserve the integrity and security of the network and service of the provider or the equipment of the end-user; If the breach of integrity or security is caused by the equipment of the end-user, the provider has to notify the end-user first and give them sufficient time to rectify the situation. to block the transmission of unwanted communications (e.g. spam) to an end-user, only if the end-user has given consent beforehand; or to comply with the law or a warrant. Also, it is prohibited for ISPs to charge end-users differently for the use of different types of Internet services or applications. Finally, future executive orders can institute minimum quality requirements to prevent the deterioration, hindrance, or slowing down of network communications.

Criticism and impact

The director of the former Independent Post and Telecommunications Authority (Dutch: Onafhankelijke Post en Telecommunicatie Autoriteit "OPTA"), now part of the Consumer and Markets Authority, has criticized the current implementation of net neutrality by the Netherlands. He questions whether the consumer actually benefits from the regulations, since it has become very hard for providers to offer a variety of services because of the restrictions posed on providers. He favors transparency and competition instead of strict regulation. Neelie Kroes, a Dutch politician and the former European Commissioner for Digital Agenda, also supported consumer choice: "If consumers want to obtain discounts because they only plan to use limited online services, why stand in their way?" She recognized a need for greater transparency in what services providers do and do not provide, and what limitations there are: "consumers also need to know if they are getting Champagne or lesser sparkling wine. If it is not full Internet, it shouldn't be marketed as such; perhaps it shouldn't be marketed as 'Internet' at all, at least not without any upfront qualification." She also criticized uncoordinated country-by-country legislation, because it slows down the creation of a "Digital Single Market". The Dutch approach to net neutrality received large attention in Brazil and served as an important reference during the negotiations of the Marco Civil da Internet, the country's Internet Civil Rights Law, approved by the Chamber of Deputies' in March, 2014. On April 3, 2014, upon strong support of Commissioner Kroes, the European Parliament voted in favor of maintaining net neutrality throughout European networks. The basic framework of net neutrality in the European Union (EU) is laid down by Article 3 of EU Regulation 2015/2120.

See also Net neutrality Internet in the Netherlands Net neutrality in the European Union Telecoms Package

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Net neutrality in the Netherlands

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Net neutrality in the Netherlands claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Net neutrality in the Netherlands before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Net neutrality in the Netherlands ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Net neutrality in the Netherlands

In research: Net neutrality in the Netherlands appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Net neutrality in the Netherlands in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Net neutrality in the Netherlands is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Internet access, Internet in the Netherlands, Law of the Netherlands, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Net neutrality in the Netherlands outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Net neutrality in the Netherlands in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Net neutrality in the Netherlands means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Net neutrality in the Netherlands out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Net neutrality in the Netherlands in simple terms?

Why does Net neutrality in the Netherlands matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Net neutrality in the Netherlands?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Net neutrality in the Netherlands.