A parliamentary committee in Switzerland has called for stronger protection for net neutrality in the proposed reform of the Telecommunications Law. It also agreed to hold off on regulating roaming, but said it would consider starting to regulate virtual wholesale network access.
In a vote of 17 for and 8 against, the Transport and Telecom Commission of the Parliament approved a proposal to guarantee net neutrality as part of the new telecoms law. The Federal Council already inserted an obligation for ISPs to provide transparent information on their network practices. However, the Commission strengthened this, saying telecom operators must guarantee to end-users the neutrality of their networks and that no content or data is treated differently in passing through the network.
The Commission also adopted a resolution on ensuring an inviolable broadcast signal, with 17 for, four against and three abstentions. This would mean telecom operators could only retransmit a broadcast signal in its entirety, simultaneously, and the quality of the signal could be adapted only with the permission of the broadcaster. The measure is aimed at giving local broadcasters more negotiating power with the TV providers on how their channels are distributed, especially for on-demand and catch-up services.
On the question of roaming, the Commission backed the Federal Council's stance to work on ensuring reasonable tariffs and encouraging competition. It rejected enshrining in law any direct regulation of mobile providers.
The Commission appeared open to calls from alternative operators and the regulator ComCom to begin regulating wholesale network access. It decided to first gather more information from the government on how an eventual legal basis would look for providing VULA services. It will reconsider the question again at its next meeting at the end of August, when it will also take up the other articles in the telecom law.
