Telco ‘access’ Specialized Services are no different from Google’s anticompetitive ‘search’ Specialized Services

In this premium research we present our research findings and summarize our policy recommendations for:

a) European Union’s proposed inadequate Net Neutrality provisions currently under negotiation
b) the wide spread zero-rating price discriminations that violate Net Neutrality and are potentially anticompetitive
c) the ‘special nature’ of Specialized Services which if left unchecked will introduce a giant Net Neutrality loophole

Net Neutrality layers:

Internet based services offered by ISPs: subject to Net Neutrality non-discrimination rules
-VP Kroes: Zero-rating data-hungry services like video is potentially anticompetitive
-DFMonitor research finding: 75 potentially anticompetitive zero-rated internet services launched in EU28
-DFMonitor research finding: Zero-rating is hard discrimination (universal throttling) that violates Net Neutrality

Non-internet Specialized Services offered by ISPs: NOT subject to Net Neutrality rules
-DFMonitor research finding: In two European markets Vodafone and Deutsche Telekom are trying to bypass Net Neutrality non-discrimination rules by mislabelling ‘internet-like’ services as Specialized Services