New Internet rules set up industry's next battle

Telecom companies such as AT&T (T.N) and Vodafone (VOD.L) have convinced U.S. and European regulators, finalizing so-called "net neutrality" rules, to allow them to dedicate network capacity to services such as providing connectivity to driverless cars and facilitating the exchange of medical data between patients and health professionals. The industry will be able to develop such "specialized services" as long as they do not hurt the delivery of the normal Internet to homes and businesses. Telecom and cable companies argue being able to charge for different services and speeds would help fund network upgrades and develop new industrial uses for the web, such as smart electricity meters. Silicon Valley and net neutrality activists counter that such treatment would lead to a two-speed system where telecom and cable groups could prioritize their own content and squeeze out start-ups who cannot pay.

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