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-int=
ernet-may-be-sealed-tonight


Act now to save Net neutrality!



*** Brussels, September 28th - The first conciliation meeting on the Teleco=
ms Package will take place tonight at 9:30PM. In this meeting, 27 Members o=
f 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 rep=
resentatives of the Swedish Presidency opposed this idea so far. European c=
itizens 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 ga=
ther 27 Members of the European Parliament delegation, and 27 representativ=
es of the ministers of the Member States, on Monday, September 28th, at 9:3=
0PM. 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 decisio=
n will depend the fate of Net neutrality in Europe.

So far, the rapporteur Catherine Trautmann and the minister in charge for t=
he Swedish Presidency =C5sa Torstensson expressed their will to deal only w=
ith the "amendment 138", which the Council wants to get rid of [1]. This wo=
uld mean that the dreadful provisions allowing operators to kill Net neutra=
lity 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 neu=
trality should be dealt separately, after the Telecoms Package, but this is=
 just a bad excuse. They know that Net neutrality is already in the Telecom=
s Package, because AT&T amendments allows operators to kill it to take cont=
rol of the Net. They must admit it and do what is best for Europe's competi=
tiveness and citizens's fundamental rights, at any cost. Internet is much m=
ore important for the future of our societies than the efficiency of the EU=
 legislative process." explains J=E9r=E9mie Zimmermann, spokesperson for ci=
tizen advocacy group La Quadrature du Net.

Citizens from all Member States have a few hours left to call all the Membe=
rs of the European Parliament delegation in the conciliation committee [4].=
 They can find arguments in the letter sent to them by La Quadrature [5] al=
ong with the Open letter [6] signed by more than 70 NGOs across 15 Member S=
tates (including ISOC, CCC, Reporters without Borders, and major consumers =
unions) , in a 2-pager memo and in a complete 22-pages dossier about Net ne=
utrality.

"Conciliation must leave room for a clear legislative statement affirming t=
hat the fundamental principles of a non-discriminatory Internet have higher=
 status than the short-term convenience of specific interest business model=
s. It is very important that citizens who love the Internet act together no=
w. We need to use this unique opportunity to help European lawmakers avoid =
making an irremediable mistake. " concludes Zimmermann.



* R=E9f=E9rences *

1. Amendment 138 states that restrictions to fundamental rights and freedom=
s such as access to the Internet must be subject to a prior ruling by the j=
udicial authority. This was confirmed by a decision of the highest French j=
urisdiction, 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 a=
nd 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 a=
pplications".
3. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/08/technology/08iht-neutral.1.20669185.ht=
ml?_r=3D1
4. A specific campagne page: http://www.laquadrature.net/wiki/Call_concilia=
tion_MEPs_sept28
5. http://www.laquadrature.net/files/LaQuadratureduNet-20090928-Letter_to_t=
he_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-o=
pen-letter-to-the-european-parliament



** About la Quadrature du Net **

La Quadrature du Net (Squaring the Net) is citizen group informing about le=
gislative projects menacing civil liberties as well as economic and social =
development in the digital age. =


La Quadrature du Net informs citizens, public authorities, organizations, c=
orporations. =


It works with everyone to elaborate balanced alternative solutions. =


La Quadrature du Net is supported by French, european and international NGO=
s including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Open Society Institute =
and Privacy International.

List of supporting organisations : http://www.laquadrature.net/en/they-supp=
ort-squaring-net-la-quadrature-du-net



** Press contact and press room **

J=E9r=E9mie Zimmermann, [email protected], +33 (0)615 940 675

http://www.laquadrature.net/en/press-room


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