Portal:Net Neutrality

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Portal about Net Neutrality[modifier] 

To read

• The dossier
• La Quadrature's response to the EU Commission's questionnaire on Net neutrality
• Open letter to the UE Parliament - "We Must Protect Net Neutrality in Europe!"
• French Parliamentary report (in English) on Net Neutrality

"Net Neutrality" is the basic concept of the Net as we know it. In the digital environment, it is the guarantee of a free-market economy, innovation and of fundamental liberties. Until now, Net Neutrality stood out as a rule, both for technical and economic reasons. However, it is actually threatened by the network's operators who see commercial opportunities in the control of the information's flow which they convey. It is crucial to jump on the opportunity that offers the third reading of the Telecoms Package's European directives to take strong measures intended to protect a free, opened and innovative Internet within the European Union. By now, you can submit or confirm restrictions to Internet access on RespectMyNet

Next Step

• Initially planned for the end of 2012 - EU Commission and BEREC to present guidelines on transparency, quality of service and competition.

What is Net Neutrality ?[modifier]  Non Net Neutrality illustrated Net neutrality This rather obscure term forms the essence of the net as we have come to know it. In the numerical realm of the net, net neutrality ensures free competition, innovation and fundamental liberties and rights. Until now net neutrality has been the default state of affairs - for technical as well as for economic reasons. However, net neutrality is under threat from network operators that see commercial opportunity in controlling the flow of information through their networks. It is crucial to grasp the opportunity offered by the third reading of the European Directive on the Telecoms Package to take measures to protect the freedom, openess and innovative space of the internet in the European Union. When you send a package in the post the postal service doesn't open the package to take a look at the contents to find out who has sent the package, nor to ascertain by what route they would prefer to deliver it by. The role of the postal service is limited to delivering your package. The service can thereby considered to be neutral. The same applies to the internet: as long as there is no discrimination on the basis of the sender, recipient or content of the information being sent the internet can be said to be neutral - hence net neutrality. In this net operators don't get to decide which service, application or information is prioritised on the basis of the content. This principle forms the basis of the internet - a net in which no matter which operator is used world-wide - the same internet can be accessed from everywhere. How to help Net Neutrality ?[modifier]  RespectMyNet The RespectMyNet platform allows citizens to list and inform about Internet access restrictions imposed by operators. Citizens can submit cases of infringement on the principle of Net neutrality, or confirm those already listed. That way, regulators cannot ignore any longer the numerous access restrictions and “application-specific” techniques which undermine freedom of communication, privacy, as well as competition and innovation online. These reports, even if they draw up an incomplete situation's picture, are already used in the national and European regulators' works. The project will help to increase pressure on the European Commission to legislate on Net neutrality. Contribute If you want to go further, whatever your skills are, you can participate to the development of the project by contacting us in our IRC channel: #nnmon,by email at: contact at laquadrature.net ou by subscribing to the Respect My Net mailing list. Support la Quadrature du Net If you can afford it, financial support is of course greatly appreciated. You can make a donation to help La Quadrature keep fighting for Net Neutrality and acting on the other dossiers it works on.

Why is it important ?[modifier]  Why do we need Net Neutrality? This principle of Net Neutrality such as we know it today is fundamental for the protection of essential values of our societies: The free-market economy If an Internet provider infringe on Net Neutrality, he can very easily favor his services with regard to those of his competitors. For example, in France, 3 operators "forbid" their "mobile internet's" customers to use voice over IP software (eg Skype), so forcing them to pay their national and international communications to the (high) price rates of their networks. Still recently, no operator proposed alternative alternative in this situation. These practices, fundamentally anti-competitive, are harmful for consumers, economic growth and innovation. The innovation Since its creation, Internet bases on and develops thanks to its users. "Some guys in a garage" (or in a student room) developed myriads of projects and tiny start-ups, become since major. It's the same of Google, Wikipedia, Skype, eBay, BitTorrent, Twitter and some others essential Internet's elements, used all over the world. This "innovation without licence" is healthy and stimulating. It is beneficial in all the economy. What would it happen then if the next innovative actor had to ask to all operators for the permission to use their networks, or to pay to obtain a normal priority to avoid fatal slowness? Operators see in this question the opportunity to centralize and control Internet, and to increasing their profits. Liberties and fundamental rights The article 11 of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen of 1789 proclaims: "The free communication of ideas and opinions is one of the most precious of the rights of man. Every citizen may, accordingly, speak, write, and print with freedom, but shall be responsible for such abuses of this freedom as shall be defined by law." The French Constitutional Council, confirming what the European Parliament has already expressed, enriched the article by declaring: "As is means of communication and in consideration of the development generalized by communication's services to the online public as well as to the importance taken by these services for the participation in the democratic life and the expression of the ideas and the opinions, this right involves the freedom to reach these services." Today, Internet is a essential tool of exercise of the freedom of expression and communication for the smooth running of our democracies. Blogs, microblogs, social networks and instant messagings are so many new methods to participate in the public debate. In a democracy, only a judge must be able to restrict the citizens' fundamental liberties such the freedom of expression. What will it happen if the control of these new tools would be offered to companies? Why is the Net Neutrality in danger? Internet is developing non-stop. Until now, when the operators' networks were saturated, they invested in more bandwidth and increased the power of the global infrastructure which we call Internet. With new possibilities anti-competitive and lucrative practices, operators could turn to a new "business model": to invest in the control of what circulates on their networks, rather than to invest in better networks. This model would create conditions justifying themselves perfectly for these policies: "Internet became too slow, we are consequently obliged to control and to attribute priorities on contents, services and applications, for which ones owners are ready to pay more money." Such arguments, accompanied with the mirage of the "Internet's end", were moved forward in the European Parliament's front to to give up Net Neutrality, but they don't hold to in front of technical realities. A less expensive bandwidth and a reasoned management allow the network to grow on the basis of structural investments.