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

Wed Apr 2 23:44:20 PDT 2014

Video from yesterday debate in the EU Parliament

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/ep-live/en/plenary/video?debate=1396446284278

The webcast from vote today starting at 11:30 + (likely 11.40) CET

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sed/video.do

Kroes’ open letter defending the ETNO position with EDRi comments

http://edri.org/commissioner-kroes-letter-meps-net-neutrality-now-subtitles/


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


On 1 April 2014 13:54, Halbersztadt Jozef (jothal) <
jozef.halbersztadt at gmail.com> wrote:

> Thanks,
>
> DG Connect spokesman Ryan Heath is as truthful as usual.
>
> Diff between ITRE report and cross party amendments are in letter of La
> Quadrature du Net to all MEPs:
>
>
> http://www.laquadrature.net/wiki/Letter_to_MEPs_-_Plenary_vote_NN_%2803.04.2014%29
> Best
>
> JH
>
>
> On 1 April 2014 13:26, Borka Jerman Blazic <borka at e5.ijs.si> wrote:
>
>>
>> Here it is:
>>
>> Telecoms firms brace for EU 'net neutrality' vote to limit service fees<http://europeanprivacyassociatin.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=957214c9b3f3f5477a8fcc16d&id=248a9603a7&e=0b241720c2>
>> *Reuters, Foo Yun Chee, 31 March 2014 *
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> B.
>>
>> Dne 1.4.2014 13:12, piše Carlos Vera Quintana:
>>
>> Do you have the URL?
>>
>>  Thank you
>>
>> Carlos Vera Quintana
>> 0988141143
>> Sígueme @cveraq
>>
>> El 01/04/2014, a las 6:21, Borka Jerman Blazic <borka at e5.ijs.si>
>> escribió:
>>
>>
>> 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, piše 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-Blažič Head, Laboratory for Open systems and
>> Networks Jožef Stefan Institute and Faculty of Economics, Ljubljana
>> University Slovenia tel. +386 1 477 3408 tel. +386 1 477 3756 mob. +386
>> 41 678 410
>>
>>  <Telecoms firms brace for EU.docx>
>>
>>  _______________________________________________
>> As an Internet Society Chapter Officer you are automatically subscribed
>> to this list, which is regularly synchronized with the Internet Society
>> Chapter Portal (AMS): https://portal.isoc.org
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Prof.dr.Borka Jerman-Blažič Head, Laboratory for Open systems and
>> Networks Jožef Stefan Institute and Faculty of Economics, Ljubljana
>> University Slovenia tel. +386 1 477 3408 tel. +386 1 477 3756 mob. +386
>> 41 678 410
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> As an Internet Society Chapter Officer you are automatically subscribed
>> to this list, which is regularly synchronized with the Internet Society
>> Chapter Portal (AMS): https://portal.isoc.org
>
>

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