[Chapter-delegates] Net Neutrality Vote In EU Parliament: A False Promise?

[Halbersztadt Jozef (jothal)]

Colleagues,


 In two days the European Parliament will finally vote on the proposal for
a Telecoms Single Market. This proposal was initially designed to deliver
the promise of enshrining Net Neutrality as law across Europe. Yet unless
the European Parliament rises to the challenge, it they may actually end up
undermining net neutrality net through unclear and confusing legislation.


 In fact the prime objective behind the Telecoms proposal, is not to ensure
Net Neutrality, but promote so-called “specialised services”. This
definition of “specialised services” put forward by the European Commission
has been criticized for undermining core principles of nondiscrimination
online. Its aims to create a “special lane for high consuming services”,
such as video or social media services which are available today free of
charge.


 Under this definition of “specialised services,” telecommunications
companies will be positioned to become internet gatekeepers, controlling
innovation, strangling competition, and ultimately restricting freedom of
expression online.


 Furthermore, the regulation was presented by the Commission to the
European Parliament only in September 2013, forcing the parliamentarians to
adopt a ridiculously tight timeline to debate and vote before the upcoming
elections in May 2014.


 During this process, the European Commission ignored internal criticism
regarding the harmful impacts the current Telecoms proposal will have on
entrepreneurs and the fundamental rights of European citizens. The European
Commission also ignored serious concerns raised by the Body of European
Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC). This European agency in
charge of promoting an efficient telecoms market that maximizes benefits
for consumers and businesses alike, clearly identified the provisions
included in the Telecoms proposal as being “counterproductive” to that end.


 Despite the tight timeline, almost all parliamentary committees involved
in the Telecoms proposal managed to add necessary improvements to the text
and adopt provisions safeguarding against network discrimination.
Regrettably, the Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) Committee, in charge
of the Telecoms proposal in the Parliament, rejected many of the
improvements suggested by other committees in the final version of the
proposal adopted prior to submission to the European Parliament's. When
push came to shove, the ITRE Committee followed the Christian Democrat
(EPP) rapporteur Pilar del Castillo questionable defense of the European
Commission objectives at the expense of Net Neutrality.


 Despite these setbacks, the European Parliament has an opportunity to
prevent anti-competitive, anti-innovation policies by enshrining net
neutrality into law across Europe in the Telecoms proposal’s final vote on
April 3 by adopting the positive compromise amendments tabled by the
Social-Democrats (S&D), the Greens (Greens/EFA), the United Left (GUE/NGL)
and the Liberals (ALDE). The Parliament has a chance to stop network
discrimination in its tracks by enshrining net neutrality into EU level
law, as was already done in two EU countries, the Netherlands and Slovenia..


 Citizens across the European Union can contact their representatives and
urge them to vote for the alternative amendments and prevent the Internet
to look more like cable TV, where your operator has total control over what
you can access online, even charging you extra for certain services. A
group of NGOs designed and launched a platform making to everyone very easy
to call, email or fax members of the European Parliament.

http://savetheinternet.eu/en/


 In this action the citizen are informed that adopting of alternative
provisions is the way to effectively enact Net Neutrality and ensure
non-discrimination in the digital economy. While telecom companies (in
particular those represented by the European Telecommunications Network
Operators' Association (ETNO)) have been circulating misleading information
about these amendments, they will in fact safeguard the ability of telecom
operators to launch innovative “specialised services”, guarantee that
innovative small and medium enterprises (SMEs) can benefit from a level
playing-field, but also protect citizens' freedom of communication and
consumers' freedom of choice.


 More here:

http://www.laquadrature.net/en/net-neutrality-vote-in-eu-parliament-meps-must-protect-the-internet

Regards
Jozef Halbersztadt
-- 
'JotHal' jozef [dot] halbersztadt [at] gmail [dot] com
Internet Society Poland http://www.isoc.org.pl
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