German Chancellor Angela Merkel argues against net neutrality

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has spoken in favor of distinguishing “between the free internet and the one for special services,” saying she will take up the issue with Brussels. Net neutrality advocates have described the approach as “catastrophic.” Certain online services should be treated in a preferential way, assuring “a predictable standard of quality,” Merkel told a Berlin audience Thursday, German news agency DPA reported. 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has laid out her vision for the future of the internet, and net neutrality proponents won’t be pleased. In comments on Thursday in Berlin, Merkel argued for a two-lane internet. One lane for “special,” high priority service, and another that’s meant to resemble the internet as it exists today. While supporters of net neutrality argue that it is key to the continued growth of the internet, Merkel believes just the opposite. She argues that fast lanes are necessary for the development of new, advanced uses of the internet, like telemedicine or driverless cars. According to Merkel, without guaranteed, fast-access internet connections, such innovations won’t come to market.