[bestbits] Global letter to Europe's regulators to defend net neutrality. Deadline to sign on: 27 April

[Maryant Fernández]

Dear all,

Thanks a lot for your support! Due to the high amount of interested
organisations, we have extended the deadline for *signatures until 27
April*:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11YLPOVtG1ScqH_2KR1GU07fbpzCjRUrZ98FFmm9gd5g/edit#gid=0

In the meantime, please prepare your press releases. *The letter will be
sent out on 28 April.*
I'll send an e-mail to this list once we send it out to the European
regulators.

Thanks a lot again and best,
Maryant

Le 21/04/2016 11:55, Maryant Fernández a écrit :
> Dear all,
>
> I'm writing on behalf of a coalition of NGOs that are putting together
> a letter to the Body of European Regulators for Electronic
> Communications (BEREC) on the net neutrality guidelines they need to
> issue by 30 August 2016. [1] Please, find the letter attached and below.
>
> This is the list of the current signatories:
> https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11YLPOVtG1ScqH_2KR1GU07fbpzCjRUrZ98FFmm9gd5g/edit#gid=0
> If you want to sign on, please let me know or put the name of your
> organisation and contact person here
> <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11YLPOVtG1ScqH_2KR1GU07fbpzCjRUrZ98FFmm9gd5g/edit#gid=0>.
> Deadline: 25 April
> Launch date: in principle, 26 April
>
> Thanks and best,
> Maryant
>
> [1] Article 5(3) of the EU Regulation on net neutrality:
> http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32015R2120
> Background info:
> https://edri.org/edris-first-input-on-net-neutrality-guidelines/
>
> ------------------
> 26 April 2016
>
> Global open civil society letter to the Body of European Regulators of
> Electronic Communication (BEREC) in support of strong net neutrality
> guidelines
>
> The signatories of this letter support BEREC and its members in their
> task to provide guidelines on the implementation of the EU Regulation
> 2015/2120.1 The new EU regulation creates a basis for strong and
> stable net neutrality safeguards. We therefore encourage BEREC and the
> 28 national telecom regulators to bring an end to the uncertainty and
> establish strong net neutrality guidelines. Clear guidelines will
> ensure a digital single market, with the freedom and legal certainty
> to provide services across borders and consumer choice.
>
> We urge you to respect the Regulation's goal to “ensure the continued
> functioning of the internet ecosystem as an engine of innovation”,
> respecting the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.
> Since the inception of the Internet, net neutrality has been a vital
> precondition for freedom of expression, freedom of assembly,
> competition and freedom to conduct business.
>
> The success of the US and Indian consultations should boost BEREC's
> work. 3.7 million comments were submitted to the US Federal
> Communications Commission (FCC)'s consultation, while over one million
> comments were submitted to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
> (TRAI). These are probably the biggest direct democratic engagements
> in any telecom regulatory issue in history.
>
> Now it is the European Union's turn. BEREC decided to put the
> consultation at the very end of its decision making process, with very
> little time to analyse the feedback and let alone take it into
> account. We encourage you to reconsider the limited and tight deadline
> for responding to your public consultation, so you can duly consider
> citizens and stakeholders' input when finalising the guidelines. A
> flexible approach to the deadline will have no negative consequences,
> but will add credibility to the process.
>
> In the elaboration of the guidelines, we ask you to consider the
> following points:
> - "Services other than internet access services" (also known as
> "specialised services") need careful consideration. Weak guidelines
> could permit the circumvention of all net neutrality safeguards.
> - Zero-Rating is a harmful practice that restricts consumer choice,
> distorts competition, undermines the freedom to seek, receive and
> impart information and the freedom to conduct business. The Regulation
> should be understood as prohibiting this abuse.
> - Traffic management should be as application-agnostic as possible.
> Class-based traffic-management risks discriminating against services,
> harming user choice, discouraging to use encryption and would
> contradict transparency requirements established under the Regulation.
>
> The difficult questions you are faced with in these months are not
> about theoretical business models. You are setting the limits and
> safeguards for the future of the Internet in Europe and ensuring that
> Europe will not be globally disadvantaged by anti-competitive
> restrictive practices.
>
> Signatories:
> -- 
> Maryant Fernandez Perez
> Advocacy Manager
> European Digital Rights
> Rue Belliard 20 
> B- 1040 Brussels
> http://edri.org
>
> Tel: +32 2 274 25 70
> PGP: D59A 1D3F 50CC 231B DCFE 3F2C 92FA 6F29 3D74 0B42
> @edri | @maryantfp
>
> Donate to EDRi! https://edri.org/donate/
>
> Subscribe to the EDRi-gram, our fortnightly roundup of digital rights
> news! http://edri.org/newsletters/
>
>
> ____________________________________________________________
> You received this message as a subscriber on the list:
>      bestbits at lists.bestbits.net.
> To unsubscribe or change your settings, visit:
>      http://lists.bestbits.net/wws/info/bestbits

-- 
Maryant Fernandez Perez
Advocacy Manager
European Digital Rights
Rue Belliard 20 
B- 1040 Brussels
http://edri.org

Tel: +32 2 274 25 70
PGP: D59A 1D3F 50CC 231B DCFE 3F2C 92FA 6F29 3D74 0B42
@edri | @maryantfp

Donate to EDRi! https://edri.org/donate/

Subscribe to the EDRi-gram, our fortnightly roundup of digital rights
news! http://edri.org/newsletters/

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.igcaucus.org/pipermail/bestbits/attachments/20160425/d52f936d/attachment.htm>