The European Commission today agreed to make cellphone roaming charges illegal beginning in 2017.
The change in law means European wireless network operators will not be allowed to charge roaming fees for customers who travel across the 28-country continent.
Additionally, the European Commission also adopted some net neutrality regulations to prevent service providers from discriminating between different types of internet traffic.
European carriers, such as T-Mobile parent Deutsche Telekom, warn the rules will reduce investment across the region, but regulators see the new laws as a win for consumers, who are often charged high fees when they travel.
The new rules are specific to Europeans who go to other European countries. U.S. residents traveling abroad can still expect AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless to charge roaming fees for accessing wireless networks in Europe and elsewhere.
