Open up the internet to seize the opportunities of Brexit
15 December 2022
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Government and Institutions
In the Media
Economic Theory
Matthew Lesh writes for City AM
IEA Head of Public Policy Matthew Lesh has written in City AM urging the government to seize Brexit opportunities, including by repealing the EU’s net neutrality regulations.
Matthew wrote:
“Is Brexit a proven failure? Remainers latching onto the associated costs of leaving the customs bloc certainly think so. Some recent polls even indicate a majority for rejoining the European Union. Meanwhile, evidence of the benefits of taking back control appears scant.
“the regulatory divergence so far is minimal. EU legislation which applied to the UK was retained in domestic UK law on Brexit day, 31 January, 2020. Most of this, with some small technical changes, remains in place – whether or not in Britain’s interest.”
Matthew urged a course correction and suggested repealing net neutrality regulations imposed by the EU in 2016:
“Net neutrality limits the ways in which internet service providers can manage congestion on their network during peak times. It will make it difficult to prioritise data-intensive time-sensitive applications, such as hazard and collision information to self-driving cars or special services for the metaverse.
“These regulations also forbid network operators from reaching deals with large content providers, like Netflix, to pay for network maintenance and upgrades – slowing investment in 5G and full-fibre broadband.
“this niche rule is one of many that restrict businesses’ room for manoeuvre. Remove them, and we might finally be able to talk about Brexit as something other than a failure.”
Matthew’s full article can be read here.
You can also read Matthew’s new paper Expanding the Web: The case against net neutrality here.
Matthew wrote:
“Is Brexit a proven failure? Remainers latching onto the associated costs of leaving the customs bloc certainly think so. Some recent polls even indicate a majority for rejoining the European Union. Meanwhile, evidence of the benefits of taking back control appears scant.
“the regulatory divergence so far is minimal. EU legislation which applied to the UK was retained in domestic UK law on Brexit day, 31 January, 2020. Most of this, with some small technical changes, remains in place – whether or not in Britain’s interest.”
Matthew urged a course correction and suggested repealing net neutrality regulations imposed by the EU in 2016:
“Net neutrality limits the ways in which internet service providers can manage congestion on their network during peak times. It will make it difficult to prioritise data-intensive time-sensitive applications, such as hazard and collision information to self-driving cars or special services for the metaverse.
“These regulations also forbid network operators from reaching deals with large content providers, like Netflix, to pay for network maintenance and upgrades – slowing investment in 5G and full-fibre broadband.
“this niche rule is one of many that restrict businesses’ room for manoeuvre. Remove them, and we might finally be able to talk about Brexit as something other than a failure.”
Matthew’s full article can be read here.
You can also read Matthew’s new paper Expanding the Web: The case against net neutrality here.
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