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

Tue Apr 1 04:21:40 PDT 2014

Hi,

You are certainly right in general, however there was published 
yesterday an opinion that slightly differ
(the Commission spokesman claims that the proposal guarantee no packet 
discrimination
and net neutrality).    I am enclosing it!

Regards,

Borka

Dne 1.4.2014 11:51, pis(e 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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-- 
Prof.dr.Borka Jerman-Blaz(ic( Head, Laboratory for Open systems and 
Networks Joz(ef Stefan Institute and Faculty of Economics, Ljubljana 
University Slovenia tel. +386 1 477 3408 tel. +386 1 477 3756 mob. +386 
41 678 410
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