Thomas Lohninger
Thomas Lohninger, Executive Director of epicenter.works explains why net neutrality must be defended today just as it was ten years ago - and why now is exactly the right time to put internet providers like Deutsche Telekom in their place.
Session
In Europe, net neutrality is a principle enshrined in EU law which states that all data on the internet should be treated equally - but what happens when large providers such as Deutsche Telekom systematically violate it with their interconnection practices?
The Netzbremse project documents an alarming case: millions of Deutsche Telekom customers are experiencing artificial throttling of their connection because Telekom refuses to expand its peering capacities appropriately. As the only internet provider in Germany, users and network operators have to pay at both ends of the line to avoid congestion. The result: massive quality losses in video streaming, gaming and online conferencing - especially in the evening. Network operators and content providers who are not prepared to pay for an uncongested connection suffer from poor service quality. An alliance of consumer protection, civil society and research is now taking action against this direct attack on the open and free internet.