The government is exploring the possibility of legislating in the Russian Federation the principle of network neutrality

Today it became known that the government at a special meeting will discuss one of the proposals of the Council for the Development of the Digital Economy under the Council of the Federation. The Council proposes to legislate in Russia the principle of network neutrality - that is, equal speed of access to online services for all.

As for telecom operators, they oppose this proposal, believing that in the current conditions one can speak only of limited network neutrality. Dmitry Medvedev insisted that the council carefully consider the pros and cons, as reported by Kommersant.

On September 22, Deputy Prime Minister Maxim Akimov instructed the Ministry of Communications, the Ministry of Economy and the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) to consider the issue and submit agreed proposals for a meeting in the government. The report to the prime minister should be made before October 5.

In any country, the term “net neutrality” means that providers cannot block sites or restrict users to the width of an Internet channel at will. In Russia, net neutrality is not regulated by law, but there is a consolidation by the basic document of the FAS, with which in 2016 the largest market players agreed. True, operators are not responsible for non-compliance with neutrality, which means that it gives them the opportunity to "maneuver with tariffs", as well as agreements with online services to generate additional income.

Legislatively to secure network neutrality, the Council for the Development of the Digital Economy proposed in the late summer of this year. “When a company-operator discriminates another Russian company — a manufacturer of a service or content claimed by users, the interests of the latter end up in the end,” said a spokesman for the board.

Soyuz LTE, which includes operators of the “big four”, came out against legislative consolidation. Company executives criticized the idea of ​​securing network neutrality in a letter to the prime minister. According to representatives of the market, the ever-increasing volumes of Internet traffic requires operators to invest in the modernization and development of communication networks, including investments in equipment and software for the execution of the antiterrorist package.

Operators believe that the owners of Internet resources should contribute to the optimization of the use of network resources of the Russian Federation. The companies are also confident that consolidating the principles of network neutrality will hinder the development of 5G in Russia, for these reasons, regulators around the world, including the United States, carefully analyze the issue.

Operators offer their own solutions to the problem. “We are in favor of legislative recognition of the principle of relative network neutrality. This is in the interests of consumers, as it will allow us to provide services of guaranteed quality, including with increased network load, emergency situations or the provision of services at the request of the consumer. What is especially important, for example, in the provision of telemedicine services, ”said the MegaFon press service.

The letter of “Union LTE” was analyzed by the Ministry of Communications and the Federal Antimonopoly Service. According to the authorities, the existing regulation is quite enough to solve this problem.