EU vote to affect how much we pay for online access

An important vote in the EU today could impact how much we pay for the internet.

The European Parliament is today set to vote on a critical package of internet rules that will determine how millions of European citizens access the web.

The European proposal requires internet providers to treat their customers' web traffic "without discrimination, restriction or interference", but critics say it is riddled with loopholes.

Barrister and net neutrality advocate Ronan Lupton explained: "Data is a huge commodity. The piece of legislation pending today is designed to stamp out any behaviour that could for example see an internet access provider saying 'I'm going to bill you for your access to Google on a separate basis to the rest of your access to the internet.

"That is obviously discriminatory behaviour."