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Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

EU Lifts Cross-Border Blockades on Digital Subscriptions

Starting in April, Europeans will be able to “Netflix and chill” while vacationing in another EU state now that regulators have lifted cross-border restrictions on accessing digital subscriptions.

(CN) – Starting in April, Europeans will be able to “Netflix and chill” while vacationing in another EU state now that regulators have lifted cross-border restrictions on accessing digital subscriptions.

The move, which was hashed out by the European Commission and members of the European Parliament a year ago, puts the commission closer to its goal of a single digital market across the EU.

According to the commission, consumer spending on video subscription services alone has spiked – up on average 113 percent per year. But users have been blocked from accessing what they pay for when they travel outside their home state.

To solve this, the new regulation allows citizens to access their paid digital subscriptions anywhere. Free services will remain restricted unless the provider chooses to be covered by the new rules.

The regulation, which takes effect April 1, joins last year’s abolition of cellphone roaming charges which hit citizens hard every time they crossed into an EU state that wasn’t their own.

Categories / Consumers, Entertainment, International, Law

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