Press Release: Civil society urges the Council to adopt real Net Neutrality

The SaveTheInternet.eu campaign is mobilising EU citizens to contact their Council representative and tell them not to turn their backs on the Telecoms Single Market legislation.

The SaveTheInternet.eu coalition is sending a letter to the Council of the European Union urging support for strong and enforceable net neutrality provisions in the Telecoms Single Market regulation. The letter is part of a larger campaign on our website which will mobilise Europe’s citizens to put pressure on their national representatives in Council. The Council consists of representatives of the 28 EU Member States. After the strong vote in favour of net neutrality by the European Parliament in April of this year, the Council must now accept, reject or amend the proposal.

Earlier this year, the SaveTheInternet.eu campaign worked with the European Parliament, which adopted a regulation with strong net neutrality protections and which eliminated loopholes. At the moment, several Member States in the Council appear to be willing to undermine those provisions: the most recent proposal by the Italian Presidency removes the definitions and replaces the proposed binding powers with “simplified principles”. This is a net neutrality proposal without any net neutrality. If adopted, it will harm innovation in Europe and fundamental rights of European citizens.

“It is time for the European Union to make a positive choice to defend openness and freedom,” said Joe McNamee, Executive Director of European Digital Rights (EDRi). “The alternative is to limit freedom of expression, limit innovation and create borders, blockades and barriers in the global internet.”

We urge the Italian Presidency not to sacrifice the quality and the spirit of the text simply to be able to claim “success” in being able to close the file. The proposal as it is now would do more harm than good.

For more information, see the website of the campaign.

For interview requests and any additional information, please contact: , tel. 00 32 2 274 25 70

For more information on the EU’s decision-making process, please see EDRi’s “Activist Guide to the Brussels Maze” at edri.org/papers.