Tech vs telecoms: EU ignites debate on ‘net neutrality’

While both sides claim to support the principle of an open Internet, activists and experts have raised concerns that the EU could open the way to firms buying faster Internet from providers. — AFP Relaxnews

PARIS: Tech and streaming giants suck up vast amounts of bandwidth, so the EU this week revived a long-standing idea to make them pay the telecom firms who maintain the infrastructure.

But the idea, which sounds simple, has sparked wails of disapproval not just from the tech giants who would be forced to pay, but also from digital rights activists worried that it would create a two-speed Internet.