[Debate] Act now! The future of EU Internet may be sealed tonight.
La Quadrature du Net - For immediate release
Permanent link:
http://www.laquadrature.net/en/act-now-the-future-of-eu-internet-may-be-sealed-tonight
Act now to save Net neutrality!
*** Brussels, September 28th - The first conciliation meeting on the Telecoms
Package will take place tonight at 9:30PM. In this meeting, 27 Members of the
European Parliament and 27 representatives of the Council of EU will decide on
the future of Internet in Europe. They will choose whether to fix or maintain
the dreadful anti-Net neutrality dispositions voted in second reading by the
Parliament, under the influence of AT&T. Rapporteurs and representatives of the
Swedish Presidency opposed this idea so far. European citizens only have a few
hours to urge MEPs to preserve Europe's innovation, competition, and citizen's
fundamental rights. ***
The inaugural meeting of Conciliation phase on the Telecoms Package will gather
27 Members of the European Parliament delegation, and 27 representatives of the
ministers of the Member States, on Monday, September 28th, at 9:30PM. During
this procedure, the whole European regulatory framework of the Internet will be
negotiated. In the first meeting, members of the committe will decide on the
crucial perimeter of the negotiations. From this decision will depend the fate
of Net neutrality in Europe.
So far, the rapporteur Catherine Trautmann and the minister in charge for the
Swedish Presidency Åsa Torstensson expressed their will to deal only with the
"amendment 138", which the Council wants to get rid of [1]. This would mean
that the dreadful provisions allowing operators to kill Net neutrality in order
to get control of the Internet [2]. These provisions allowing for limiting
access to Internet services and applications, voted in second reading under
influence by AT&T [3], would then become law in Europe.
"Trautmann and Torstensson are trying to make everyone believe that Net
neutrality should be dealt separately, after the Telecoms Package, but this is
just a bad excuse. They know that Net neutrality is already in the Telecoms
Package, because AT&T amendments allows operators to kill it to take control of
the Net. They must admit it and do what is best for Europe's competitiveness
and citizens's fundamental rights, at any cost. Internet is much more important
for the future of our societies than the efficiency of the EU legislative
process." explains Jérémie Zimmermann, spokesperson for citizen advocacy group
La Quadrature du Net.
Citizens from all Member States have a few hours left to call all the Members
of the European Parliament delegation in the conciliation committee [4]. They
can find arguments in the letter sent to them by La Quadrature [5] along with
the Open letter [6] signed by more than 70 NGOs across 15 Member States
(including ISOC, CCC, Reporters without Borders, and major consumers unions) ,
in a 2-pager memo and in a complete 22-pages dossier about Net neutrality.
"Conciliation must leave room for a clear legislative statement affirming that
the fundamental principles of a non-discriminatory Internet have higher status
than the short-term convenience of specific interest business models. It is
very important that citizens who love the Internet act together now. We need to
use this unique opportunity to help European lawmakers avoid making an
irremediable mistake. " concludes Zimmermann.
* Références *
1. Amendment 138 states that restrictions to fundamental rights and freedoms
such as access to the Internet must be subject to a prior ruling by the
judicial authority. This was confirmed by a decision of the highest French
jurisdiction, the Consitutional council, on the "three strikes" policy. The
Council added that "In the current state of the means of communication and
given the generalized development of public online communication services and
the importance of the latter for the participation in democracy and the
expression of ideas and opinions, this right implies freedom to access such
services."
2. Located in Articles 20.1.b and 21.3.b of the Universal Service Directive, it
allows for "conditions limiting access to and/or use of services and
applications".
3.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/08/technology/08iht-neutral.1.20669185.html?_r=1
4. A specific campagne page:
http://www.laquadrature.net/wiki/Call_conciliation_MEPs_sept28
5.
http://www.laquadrature.net/files/LaQuadratureduNet-20090928-Letter_to_the_conciliation_committee_MEPs.pdf
6. Open letter "We must save Net neutrality!" with full list of signatories:
http://www.laquadrature.net/en/we-must-protect-net-neutrality-in-europe-open-letter-to-the-european-parliament
** About la Quadrature du Net **
La Quadrature du Net (Squaring the Net) is citizen group informing about
legislative projects menacing civil liberties as well as economic and social
development in the digital age.
La Quadrature du Net informs citizens, public authorities, organizations,
corporations.
It works with everyone to elaborate balanced alternative solutions.
La Quadrature du Net is supported by French, european and international NGOs
including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Open Society Institute and
Privacy International.
List of supporting organisations :
http://www.laquadrature.net/en/they-support-squaring-net-la-quadrature-du-net
** Press contact and press room **
Jérémie Zimmermann, jz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, +33 (0)615 940 675
http://www.laquadrature.net/en/press-room
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