Nearly a quarter of European Internet users say...

Nearly a quarter of European Internet users say their providers are blocking content, the European Commission said in a memo Thursday (bit.ly/1hWaTPb). The survey of 28,000 people across the EU found that: (1) 41 percent experience problems due to speed limitations or blocking with watching videos on mobile devices and 37 percent on fixed Internet connections at home. (2) 23 percent encounter problems with listening to music on mobile devices. (3) The same percentage experiences problems with uploading content on Facebook, blogs or forums through their mobile devices. (4) Nearly 20 percent have trouble playing online games at desktop computers. (5) 9 percent have trouble using VoIP. In addition, many users don’t know their Internet speed, and of those who do, around a quarter said their speed doesn’t match the terms of their contracts, the EC said. The findings reinforce a 2012 report by the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications on net neutrality, it said. The commission’s proposed connected-continent regulation would end discriminatory blocking and throttling and ensure an open Internet, the EC said. A European Parliament vote on that measure was delayed Tuesday due to translation issues (CD Feb 26 p21).