The news comes as the European Parliament and EU governments are considering a major telecoms reform package. Some elements of the package could affect users rights by allowing ISPs to limit access to Web sites or applications, or to prioritize some Internet traffic in favor of their own partner’s traffic.

Nigel Jackson

"EU lawmakers should make sure that national authorities have the powers they need to act in cases where traffic management by telecommunication companies constitute unnecessary, discriminatory and/or anti-competitive behavior," the companies said in a joint statement.

The survey was carried out by market research firm Synovate that polled 944 consumers in France, Germany and the United Kingdom.

Among those who have recently switched ISPs, the research found that having access to more advanced services was a primary reason for many online consumers. More than two-thirds of respondents regularly use online banking, online shopping, video streaming and a variety of forms of online communication. On average, consumers conduct about 8 different online activities.

"Consumers clearly think that they should have access to all legitimate sites and services online. They do not want their access blocked or limited. However, most are unaware that their ISP may be restricting access to such services in any way," said Synovate head Nigel Jackson.

Synovate looked at 17 markets around the world and found that 58 percent of its 13,000 respondents claimed not to recognize the term.  This isn’t an "old person" issue, since 65 was the upper age limit.  Neither was it limited to countries other than the U.S., as 30 percent of Americans didn’t have a clue.

 

Social media champions could interpret the data as a good thing at this point – there’s room for all sorts of room for growth to take place.  Unfortunately, the stats don’t end there.

Synovate reports, "When asked if they agree with the statement ‘I am losing interest in online social networking’, 36% of the social networking site members were in the affirmative; led by Japan (55%), Slovakia (48%), Canada (47%), Poland and the US (45%)."

Adam Ostrow introduces some valid questions about the phrasing of Synovate’s questions and the importance of very young markets (18 was the lower age limit on Synovate’s survey).  Still, it looks like we’re not yet at a point where marketers and investors will want to bet their farms on Facebook and other social networks.