Last week, Dutch regulators ordered T-Mobile to stop its Data-free Music service because the “zero rating” offering violates net neutrality rules in The Netherlands. The service is similar to T-Mobile’s Binge On plan offered in the US where the legality of zero-rating services has yet to be challenged.
“Free data does not exist: other services will be more expensive,” said Henk Don in a statement by the Dutch regulatory authority.
“Free data does not exist”
As a reminder, zero-rating is the contested practice whereby network providers don’t charge customers for data used by specific applications or internet services through their network.
Dutch net neutrality became law in 2012 and forbids zero-rating services on the grounds that they may harm competition, especially for data-heavy services like streaming audio and video. T-Mobile introduced its Data-free Music service to the Netherlands in October of this year after Europe passed a weaker net neutrality law in April. The new European law allows for some services under some conditions to be provide for free or more cheaply. T-Mobile now faces a fine of €50,000 each day (up to €500,000 maximum) it continues to offer the service.