European net neutrality still in danger

[Michel Bauwens]

An appeal from Swedish parliamentary candidate Erik Josefsson

if you are European and are concerned with network neutrality, please consider co-signing http://www.co-ment.net/text/711/

Erik writes:


Hello!

The "telecoms package" is a bundle of directives that regulates the
Internet and the Telecoms market in Europe. I think the original purpose
of the project was good, but it has been highjacked by special interests
who are very present and very powerful in Brussels.


The problems are the same old problems as always; rightsholders wants to
create liability for carriers/intermediaries/ISPs; security- and
social-networks industry wants to process personal data for profiling
purposes; and many large telcos argue there is a need to allow
net-discrimination to guarantee "quality of service".

How these agendas are expressed in detail is difficult to see in the
clear. This is legislation, so expert lawyers are involved in trying to
promote these policies by amendments and by working behind the scenes
with both Council, Commission and EP.

Public awareness and scrutiny is very much needed to be able to see
through the legal language. I hope we can help each other to do that in
the second reading, but already now, I know the existence of this
project is influencing the negotiations preparing the Common Position of
the Council. Some council negotiators know we exist and will be present
when the package comes to the EP.


For more resources, I recommend Monica Horten's blog:

http://www.iptegrity.com/

and of course LQ:

http://www.laquadrature.net