France’s National Digital Council recommended the government legislate net neutrality. ...

an opinion. Neutrality must be recognized as a fundamental principle necessary for the exercise of freedom of communication and of expression, which is enshrined at the highest level of the law, it said. Because net neutrality is a fundamental right, its application must be controlled directly by a judge and continually updated to new technologies, it said. Finally, indicators to measure the level of net neutrality in networks and services available to the public should be collaboratively developed by political, economic and social actors and regulatory authorities, at the EU level. The report calls for broadening the scope of net neutrality to include search engines and other online services, said French citizen’s advocacy group La Quadrature du Net. But making the principle too broad could result in a meaningless law, it said. Bringing in all kinds of Internet players overlooks the main issue at stake —- establishing specific measures relating to telecom operators’ obligations, La Quadrature said. CNNum didn’t propose any actual penalties to implement net neutrality in the face of restrictions imposed by operators, it said. The council “has failed to propose a strong and effective protection” for net neutrality, said La Quadrature spokesman Jérémie Zimmermann. By trying to solve different problems with one magic bullet, the opinion “could result in a neutralised neutrality that won’t solve anything,” he said in a written statement. France must follow the lead of the Netherlands, Slovenia, Chile and Peru in legislating to safeguard neutrality and including sanctions against companies that illegally restrict access to online communications, he said. CNNum’s version lacks legs, he said. The council was established in 2011 to advise the government and contribute to public debates about digital issues, its website says.