EDRi's answer to net neutrality consultation

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Deutsch: [EDRis Beitrag zur Konsultation über Netzneutralität | http://www.unwatched.org/node/2242]

Who gets to decide what you do on the internet: you or your internet service
provider? Until recently, the answer was simple: you decide which services
and websites you want to visit. This is changing rapidly, however. Most
internet providers want to restrict your internet traffic. Unless the
European Commission prohibits them from doing so.

EDRi, in a common submission with its member Bits of Freedom, urged the
European Commission to prohibit this. The submission was sent as an answer
to a public consultation on net neutrality opened until 30 September 2010.

In our submission, EDRi concludes that:
– An open internet is crucial for fundamental freedoms, innovation,
and competition.
– Internet providers, however, have incentives of their own to stifle
the open internet.
– Furthermore, governments and private parties attempt to force
internet providers to stifle the open internet for the benefit of narrow
sectorial interests.
– And, in practice, internet providers do indeed stifle the open
internet for the above reasons.
– Meanwhile, transparency obligations, competition and minimum
guarantees cannot safeguard an open internet.
– Waiting is not an option, as the examples of local loop unbundling
and mobile roaming demonstrate.
– Narrowly-tailored regulatory EU measures should therefore safeguard
the open internet.

Response of Bits of Freedom and EDRi to the public consultation of the
European Commission on the open internet and net neutrality in Europe
(30.09.2010)
http://www.edri.org/docs/netneutralityreaction300910.pdf

(thanks to Ot Van Daalen – EDRi-member Bits of Freedom)