Net neutrality supports the 'open internet', ensuring that users of the internet are in control of what they see and do online – not their broadband or mobile providers. The UK’s net neutrality rules make sure that the traffic carried across broadband and mobile networks is treated equally and particular content or services are not prioritised, slowed down or blocked by providers in a way that favours some over others.
Ofcom is responsible for monitoring and ensuring compliance with the rules.
In October 2023, we published a statement on our review of the UK's net neutrality framework. We also provided revised guidance on how we expect Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to comply with the framework and our approach to Assessing compliance.
In the guidance we set out that there are certain scenarios where it may be in the public interest to apply an exception to the traffic management rules. We said that we would be unlikely to be concerned if providers used traffic management to block certain types of content. The guidance specifically mentions fraudulent content and intimate image abuse content.
We are now issuing a clarification to make clear that the list of public interest exceptions in our guidance is not exhaustive. This is a continually evolving space and there could be other types of harmful content where we would be unlikely to be concerned if ISPs are blocking access on a reasonable, proportionate, targeted and appropriately evidenced basis (for example, content that encourages suicide or self-harm).
We will continue to consider this on a case-by-case basis. We would take into account the approach the ISP is taking to identify the harmful content – for example, whether it is working with charities and other organisations focused on addressing harms that could arise from accessing the content. We would also take into account whether there are alternative approaches to removing the content that may be more appropriate and whether there is a clear and accessible mechanism in place to allow content providers and end-users to report inappropriately blocked content.
For the avoidance of doubt, blocking such content within parental controls (rather than blocking it more generally) is already captured in our guidance in paragraphs A1.114 and A1.115.