Virgin CEO wants to "engage" on neutrality

Cable providers must engage with issues such as net neutrality, privacy, copyright and child protection, Neil Berkett told an industry conference yesterday.

Virgin Media's chief executive came under fire recently for dubbing net neutrality - the principle that users' access to content should be equal and unfettered - "a load of b****cks". He suggested some content providers could get faster access to its subscribers by paying more.

However, Berkett appeared to favour a more careful approach in a speech to the Cable Congress event in Madrid.

He said legitimate questions were being raised around the role of the internet and said providers should begin "a new dialogue with consumers" on a range of topics. As well as access, recent months have seen controversy around internet applications compromising users' privacy.

"In the UK, attitudes towards service providers are at something of a crossroads," he said. "If we can simultaneously demonstrate we're engaging with these complex issues and capture the excitement and opportunity of our services, we could emerge as the enablers of choice in an industry that is sometimes regarded as a bit sterile and remote.

"Or we could go the way of the utility companies or the financial services industry and become resented by consumers and seen as little more than a necessary evil."

Berkett added that a key question was "whose role is it to monitor (the internet)? Is it the content providers, the internet service providers or the government?"

Vivienne Redding, the European Commissioner for Information, also contributed to the neutrality debate on Tuesday. She said traffic prioritisation practices were acceptable - particularly for video - though national regulators may need to set minimum levels of quality of service.

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