The torrentblokkade in the dormitories by the University of Groningen does not stand up. In answer to parliamentary Questions shall minister Verhagen that this form of internetfiltering by the amended telecommunications act will no longer can.
At the end of February, it was announced that the University of Groningen, the bittorrent protocol wanted to go to block in the dormitories and the corporate network. This measure, as far as known at 1 march effectively become and attended to complaints from U.s. movie studios, to the address of the university.
To have, will this block in the near future are no longer allowed due to changes in legislation. According to minister Maxime Verhagen provides the Centre for Information Technology of the university fee internet access to students, which can be classified as a provider.
Although the minister observes, ‘that there is not yet a law is that providers prohibits certain services or applications to inhibit or to slow down’, he argues that if the amended telecommunications legislation in force, that legislation is.
“From the reports I get the computer centre of the BACK, on request, against payment provides internet access to BACK-students who are in certain of the dormitories to live,” writes Verhagen. “The BACK can in this case can be seen as a provider of internet access service as referred to in the proposed article 7.4 a telecommunications Act. This means that if the new article becomes effective, the BACK to provide internet access to its students, no services or applications should obstruct or block.”
Not only does the minister that the university raised blockade will be illegal, also makes Verhagen short shrift by the university’s arguments for the introduction of the blockade. “As I understand it, it goes in the case of the BACK to the imposition by the CIT of limitations of services or applications on the internet following complaints from organisations of copyright owners. Such complaints are not a valid reason for blocking internet traffic.”
Verhagen argues that this blockade will only can if there is a court order to block certain internet traffic. “As long as the proposed article is not yet effective, break the SPINE, however, no legislation with the filtering of bittorrent traffic,” writes Verhagen. It is, however, the university allowed, even if the amended telecommunications act entered into force the network to filter which employees of the university have access to the internet. That services can the BACK not to be seen as a provider of internet access.
The amended telecommunications act in June last year, adopted by the Second Chamber , but the legislation must also be approved by the senate and is now in treatment. At the end of last month the First Room its final report on this subject submitted. In early april, a plenary meeting is scheduled of the First Room in which the conscious change in the law can be adopted, then ratified officially.