People who want to rewrite net neutrality laws are arguing that \u2018specialized services\u2019 require near-zero latency and rock-solid reliability. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Specialized services go beyond general Internet access to deliver specific information, functions, and programs that require a higher-quality connection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
An example of a specialized service would be a remote surgical procedure, where milliseconds matter and lost data is a serious issue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But here\u2019s the thing: not every network has to be <\/strong>the Internet.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Just look at SWIFT<\/a>, the global financial messaging network: it\u2019s purpose-built, secure, and not open to just anyone. If you want to run a medical robot or a critical industrial system, you can build (and many already do build) dedicated, specialized networks<\/strong> with the exact features you need. There is no obligation to join the global Internet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s remember, the principal idea behind net neutrality is that Internet service providers must treat all data on the Internet equally, without blocking, throttling, or prioritizing certain content or services over others. This means providers cannot discriminate against users based on the type of content, application, or website, ensuring that all Internet traffic is handled uniformly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Internet is a global network of networks<\/a> that have decided voluntarily to interconnect, speaking the same technical \u201clanguage\u201d (protocols) so that your email, video call, or meme gets from point A to point B. The deal is simple: it\u2019s a best-effort network<\/strong>. That means when you send packets of data, the network does its best to route and deliver them\u2014but there are no guarantees of quality or speed baked into the system. That\u2019s not a flaw, it\u2019s a feature<\/strong>. This open, decentralized design is what has allowed the Internet to scale globally, adapt to new uses, and empower innovation without anyone needing permission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So why rewrite net neutrality rules for the entire<\/em> Internet just to accommodate niche cases? That\u2019s like redesigning all of the public roads to allow for Formula 1 cars\u2014when racetracks already exist. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Altering net neutrality to introduce exceptions for \u201cspecialized services\u201d risks fracturing the Internet\u2019s features and allowing telecom gatekeepers to pick winners and losers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Internet has thrived precisely because no one can demand premium treatment. It doesn\u2019t matter whether the data originates from a brand-new startup or from the biggest tech company. There are no \u201cfast lanes\u201d for privileged data, and you can reach any user in the world without additional costs or striking a separate deal with their network first. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This openness is what has let the Internet grow so quickly. If we start messing with that principle, we risk breaking the very qualities that made the Internet the world\u2019s most powerful engine of opportunity, education, and communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This isn\u2019t a theoretical discussion. The European Commission has floated the idea of reviewing Open Internet rules<\/strong> as part of the upcoming Digital Networks Act<\/a>, echoing the claims that there is a need to open the door to accommodate new specialized services. This would weaken the very safeguards that protect net neutrality in Europe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Image \u00a9\u00a0Jan Antonin Kolar<\/a>\u00a0via\u00a0Unsplash<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Altering net neutrality to introduce exceptions for \u201cspecialized services\u201d risks fracturing the Internet\u2019s features and allowing telecom gatekeepers to pick winners and losers.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1687,"featured_media":232748,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[201,98],"tags":[],"region_news_regions":[35],"content_category":[6085],"ppma_author":[5593],"class_list":["post-232745","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-internet-governance","category-public-policy","region_news_regions-europe","content_category-blog-type"],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pile-of-wires.jpg",1200,550,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pile-of-wires-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pile-of-wires-450x206.jpg",450,206,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pile-of-wires-768x352.jpg",768,352,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pile-of-wires-1024x469.jpg",1024,469,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pile-of-wires.jpg",1200,550,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pile-of-wires.jpg",1200,550,false],"post-thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pile-of-wires-250x115.jpg",250,115,true],"square":["https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pile-of-wires-600x550.jpg",600,550,true],"gform-image-choice-sm":["https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pile-of-wires.jpg",300,138,false],"gform-image-choice-md":["https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pile-of-wires.jpg",400,183,false],"gform-image-choice-lg":["https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pile-of-wires.jpg",600,275,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"David Frautschy","author_link":"https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/author\/frautschy\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Altering net neutrality to introduce exceptions for \u201cspecialized services\u201d risks fracturing the Internet\u2019s features and allowing telecom gatekeepers to pick winners and losers.\u00a0","authors":[{"term_id":5593,"user_id":1687,"is_guest":0,"slug":"frautschy","display_name":"David Frautschy","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/DavidFrautschy.jpg","url2x":"https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/DavidFrautschy.jpg"},"author_category":"","last_name":"Frautschy","first_name":"David","job_title":"","user_url":"","description":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232745","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1687"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=232745"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232745\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/232748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=232745"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=232745"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=232745"},{"taxonomy":"region_news_regions","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/region_news_regions?post=232745"},{"taxonomy":"content_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content_category?post=232745"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=232745"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Why This Debate Matters Now<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s why this debate is urgent: altering the rules that help make the Internet a global resource, just to accommodate so-called \u201cspecialized services,\u201d is not only unnecessary, it would be a disaster for the openness, trust, and innovation that Europe\u2019s digital future depends on.<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
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