Telecoms Package/September 7 Seminar
From EU-wiki
This is a working space for planning, producing and documenting materials for the 7 September seminar. Contact the tratten working group for more information.
transcripts
Malte Behrmann
Collaborative effort @ http://etherpad.com/transcribemalte
Caroline de Cock
Collaborative effort @ http://etherpad.com/transcribecaroline
Andriani Ferti
The EU Telecoms Package -- What it is and what it's not
"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. First, I would like to start by thanking Ms. Lichtenberger and Mr. Engstroem for hosting and organizing this event. Second, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Andriani Ferti and I am a lawyer with Clifford Chance. As a lawyer, I would also like to make a traditional disclaimer saying that I am not here representing any client, and that the views I express are my own. The Telecoms Package matters to me personally as a lawyer, as a former OLPCer working for a noble cause, to enable children’s access to technology, especially in developing countries, and of course as a European citizen.
I will start my presentation by telling you a story. Let’s travel to a remote village somewhere in Europe. Access to electronic communications is limited, so is access to the Internet. It is costly, and time-consuming for the local ISP to invest in developing high-speed broadband connectivity for this remote village with only a small number of inhabitants of low income. The children however at primary school were given this machine I have in front of me. A tool, which was built with this primary concern in mind -- children’s access to the Internet -- the modern Agora of the Classical years -- the focus of political, commercial, administrative and social activity, and the religious and cultural centre in Ancient Athens -- as a means to communicate, to create, and to innovate. This machine is equipped with a wireless mesh networking capability, which enables them to route voice, and other data between laptops (mesh networking allows for continuous connections and reconfiguration around broken or blocked paths by “hopping” from node to node until the destination is reached). That said, as a matter of efficiency and costs-saving, there is just one single access point to the Internet for the whole school and the laptops are able to access the Internet through this access point through the instantaneous connections made by the laptops. As a result, there is no need to invest extensively in external infrastructure to access the Internet.
Let’s move now to a big city. Busy businessmen and businesswomen and a bunch of creative young students are sitting with their laptops at a cafe, taking advantage of the free wireless Internet access to finish up working on their projects.
What’s common in these two stories? The importance of access to the Internet in people’s lives.
Let’s put some grey clouds in the images above. The ISPs providing Internet access to the school and the cafe find that the school’s and the cafe’s network are used to download illegal copies of copyrighted materials. As a result, the ISPs decide to implement measures such as site or IP blocking, or bandwith capping etc, or even “cut-off” the school’s or the cafe’s Internet access. Then the hundreds of the daily customers of the cafe or the school children are left without something of growing importance in our modern society -- unhindered access to the Internet, and consequently to all the information and services they can access through that.
My arguments in support of the so-called Amendment 138/46 and against imposing limitations to end-users’ access to electronic communications lie in this very substance -- protecting citizens’ fundamental rights and freedoms to express themselves, to access information, the freedom to arts and scientific research, the protection of their personal data, the right to education, the freedom to conduct business. All these civil liberties and rights, which are getting a new meaning in our modern technological society, are at risk if all of us fail to understand what access to electronic communication is about and act accordingly.
So, let me come to the main point. What is the European Telecoms package all about?
First, the Telecoms package intends to revise a set of directives related to electronic communications, especially with respect to the regulatory framework of electronic communications, the delivery of a universal service, access to and interconnection in network infrastructure, the authorisation of rights to radio frequencies, and the protection of personal data in the electronic communications sector.
The Commission’s proposals for the review of the electronic communications framework, adopted in 2007, were the result of two years of consultations with various stakeholders, in order to ensure that the regulatory framework accommodates the needs in this “fast-developing sector.” The Commission’s proposals intended to facilitate more competition in the telecoms sector, and thus more choice, to establish better regulation -- that is, to ensure that regulatory action is taken only when justified, and should be proportionate, to strengthen the internal market, and to build on citizens’ rights, especially citizens’ access to a telephone/Internet connection and protection of personal data.
Second, the aforementioned legislation, since it was first adopted, was meant to address issues related to the access to electronic communications (including the access to the Internet), and not the provision of content, web-based content, and information society services, that was left to be addressed by the respective legislative instruments.
The aforementioned directives mention that in various occasions. For example, the Framework Directive -- where the so-called Amendment 138/46 found home -- explicitly provides that access to the Internet is an electronic communications service, whereas the provision of web-based content is not covered by the Directive.
Furthermore, the Universal Service Directive is meant to create a harmonised regulatory framework which secures the delivery of a universal service, aiming to contribute to the protection of consumers. The existing legislation, as well as some of the proposed amendments recognise the importance of universal service, and underscore that “A fundamental requirement of universal service is to provide users on request with a connection to the public communications network at a fixed location and at an affordable price.”
Third, as mentioned before, the end-users’ rights aim to play a significant role in this set of proposed amendments to the electronic communications legislation, called European Telecoms package. End-users play a central role in the Universal Service Directive, the right to privacy in electronic communications is inherent to the scope of the ePrivacy Directive, while the principle of recognising the exercise of fundamental rights such as the freedom of expression and access to information, the right to privacy, and the right to education should be considered by national regulatory authorities in promoting the interests of the citizens of the European Union. I should note however that the Framework Directive what aims to achieve is to develop and foster a regulatory framework which creates the conditions for effective competition in the telecommunications sector, rather than become a tool to provide for content regulation.
In light of all the above, I come to the conclusion that fundamental rights and liberties of citizens reside in the very essence of regulating the electronic communications sector and of providing for access to the Internet. For that reason, provisions such as the so-called Amendment 138/46, adopted at both first and second reading, providing that “national regulatory authorities shall promote the interests of the European Union by applying the principle that no restriction may be imposed on the fundamental rights and freedoms of end-users, without a prior ruling by the judicial authorities, notably in accordance with Article 11 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union on freedom of expression and information, save when public security is threatened in which case the ruling may be subsequent” are essential and imperative in order to facilitate citizens’ access to a means that will enable them to communicate, to get informed, to create, to innovate.
On the other hand, vague provisions that allow for conditioning users’ access to the Internet, and other electronic communications technologies, to providers’ wishes with no particular justification and without respecting the right to due process should be put under scrutiny.
Freedom of speech and expression has a long history, going back to Ancient Athens, where Athenians used to believe that “the power of persuasion is the most enduring force in a culture, one that must not and can not be stifled.” Freedom of expression is a prerequisite to creativity and innovation. Freedom of expression is fundamental and interrelated to copyright. Especially in the user-based economy that is currently developing, ensuring access to the Internet, while guaranteeing users’ freedom of expression, is important in helping creativity and innovation, preserving and promoting cultural heritage, and supporting the development of new business models that are using the Internet as their means of reaching consumers.
I understand that the content industry is seeking solutions to address the problem of illegal file-sharing. However, the answer is not in policing the Internet, but in establishing new business models that utilise technology, consider end-users’ needs and strike the right balance between the seemingly rival interests. And I say seemingly rival, because end-users may also become rights holders themselves through collaborative creativity or by developing derivative works, while using the Internet. Successful examples of innovative business models, aiming to strike and preserve the right balance, are Pandora, or Spotify that stream free (legal) music supported by advertising, or Jamendo that uses BitTorrent technology to develop a community of free, legal and unlimited music published under Creative Commons licenses.
In addition to these efforts, hardware manufacturers are looking into ways to ship mobile phones or other devices with the option to download millions of tracks in the price of the mobile phone such as Nokia’s “Comes With Music” programme.
As an artist (I am a soloist pianist myself), I respect copyright, but I do believe that technology advances at a greater pace than all of us can realise, and that we also need to use the technology to the society’s benefit as a means to further creativity and innovation. As a lawyer, I believe that a good legislator needs to foresee future developments and be proactive. A strong legislation is legislation that is concrete and to the point, but also, especially when it is dealing with the ICT sector, able to accommodate future technological developments (such as for example would be the mesh network functionality in our laptops).
Technology is not an enemy, nor users’ -- sometimes innovative -- ways of using technologies are illegal per se. The Internet has become inextricable to our lives as e-Citizens. Conditioning access to the Internet in a way that does not sufficiently guarantee our fundamental rights recognised by international instruments such as the European Convention of Human Rights and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union should not be imposed on Internet users and should be the principal objective when designing a regulatory framework for the electronic communications sector.
Thank you very much for your attention."
greens/efa web pages
http://greens-efa-service.org/live/telecom/
http://www.greens-efa.org/cms/default/dok/301/301052.telecoms_package@en.htm
press & blogs & twitts
"telecoms+package" @ topsy.com
http://edri.org/edri-gram/number7.17/telecoms-package-third-reading
Report from Green Group/Pirate Party seminar: You won't co-operate! I can't co-operate!
Report from Green Group/Pirate Party seminar: Is the Telecoms Package innovation-hostile?
Report from Green Group/Pirate Party seminar: Telecoms Package will stay under surveillance
press releases
http://www.erikjosefsson.eu/sites/default/files/webmail.europarl.europa.eu.fr.html
http://www.erikjosefsson.eu/sites/default/files/webmail.europarl.europa.eu.en.html
presentations
public presentations
http://www.erikjosefsson.eu/sites/default/files/seminarslides/1_INTEL_presentation_EP_070909.ppt
http://www.erikjosefsson.eu/sites/default/files/seminarslides/2_Euroispa.ppt
http://www.erikjosefsson.eu/sites/default/files/seminarslides/3_Andriani_Seminar_07-09-2009.ppt
http://www.erikjosefsson.eu/sites/default/files/seminarslides/4_BSA_francicso_tech_mandates_2009.ppt
http://www.erikjosefsson.eu/sites/default/files/seminarslides/6_Scambio_Etico_Paolo_Brini.pdf
http://www.erikjosefsson.eu/sites/default/files/seminarslides/7_julia.pdf
http://www.erikjosefsson.eu/sites/default/files/seminarslides/8_VON_3r_rdg_presentation-v2.pdf
preview presentation
http://www.erikjosefsson.eu/sites/default/files/Nortvedt_parliament_070909.pdf
http://www.erikjosefsson.eu/sites/default/files/INTEL_presentation_EP_070909.pdf
http://www.erikjosefsson.eu/sites/default/files/BriniSlides.pdf
stream and video urls
Lichtenberger interviews Behrmann, Genna
http://www.erikjosefsson.eu/sites/default/files/090907_MEP_Lichtenberger_DE.flv
http://www.erikjosefsson.eu/sites/default/files/090907_MEP_Lichtenberger_IT.flv
seminar streams
http://bambuser.com/v/259534 http://bambuser.com/v/259458 http://bambuser.com/v/259455
http://greens-efa-service.eu/live/telecom/
http://www.erikjosefsson.eu/sites/default/files/telecom1-0_flat_512x288_600.flv
http://www.erikjosefsson.eu/sites/default/files/telecom1-1_flat_512x288_600.flv
http://www.erikjosefsson.eu/sites/default/files/telecom1-2_flat_512x288_600.flv
http://www.erikjosefsson.eu/sites/default/files/telecom2_flat_720x404_h264.f4v
logistics
Christopher and Magnus arrives 19:35 (arrive BRU) Sunday, leaves 20:15 Monday (depart BRU).
Paolo Brini Arrives 12:00 (arrive Brussels Charleroi) Sunday, sleeps for two nights, and leaves Tuesday 18:00 (depart Brussels Charleroi)
Monica arrives Sunday 16:03 and departs Tuesday 20:29. Sleeps 2 nights.
final program
http://www.erikjosefsson.eu/sites/default/files/Telecom_7_Sept_2009_poster_final.pdf
http://www.erikjosefsson.eu/sites/default/files/Telecom_7_Sept_2009_programme.pdf
etherpads
speakers bios: http://etherpad.com/661QuFFI3k
speakers list: http://etherpad.com/17XwQP5Ual
first invitation: http://etherpad.com/ep/pad/view/0mqPH8mmx9/Tl8iy68Ejp
pictures of speakers
program drafts
final poster
jean (current)
hax (old)
http://www.erikjosefsson.eu/sites/default/files/A3_skiss_01b.pdf
http://www.erikjosefsson.eu/sites/default/files/program_skiss01b.pdf
program picture ideas
alternative registration
http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dFBORWtDTTJnYkhWZkhJNl8xNVZuNkE6MA
litterature
paul goldstein copyright's highway from gutenberg to the celestial jukebox
http://www.si.umich.edu/research/papers/crawfords_100108.pdf
Article from the "Federal Communications Law Journal" suggesting that ISP's should be treated as common carriers of packets (focused on interconnection rather than end users): http://www.entrepreneur.com/tradejournals/article/84971963_1.html
History of common carrier law beginning here: http://www.entrepreneur.com/tradejournals/article/84971963_7.html
Swedish Translation
Invitation
NÄR: 7 September, 14:00-18:00
VAR: Rum A1G-2, Altiero Spinelli building, Europaparlamentet
VAD: Telekompaketet - föreberedelser inför en tredjebehandling
VEM: Eva Lichtenberger, Vice ordförande i GREENS/EFA-gruppen,
och Christian Engström, Piratpartiets MEP, medlem i Greens/EFA-gruppen
är värdar för seminariet.
OM: Europaparlamentet står inför utmaningen att försäkra att tredjebehandlingen av Telekompaketet inte bara skyddar användare och bevarar grundläggande friheter, utan också att Europa hittar den rätta receptet för innovation och tillväxt. Tillgång till internetbaserade tjänster och verktyg anses idag vara av ökande betydelse i snart sagt alla ekonomiska och samhälleliga aktiviteter. En tredjebehandling ger det nya parlamentet möjligheten och ansvaret att utnyttja sin medbestämmandemakt för att säkerställa att de nödvändiga målen möts.
Den avgörande skiljelinjen mellan parlamentet och ministerrådet i andrabehandlingen rörde rättsväsendets roll i Telekompaketet. För att förstå varför "föregående beslut från rättsvårdande myndigheters sida" (det berömda tillägg 138) nu står i centrum för telekompaketet, ska seminariet behandla tre bredare frågor:
- Finns det en skillnad i vad som omfattas i nuvarande ramverk och Telekompaketet?
- Vem har makt att stänga av internetaccess idag, och vad har föreslagits i Telekompaketet?
- Vilken sorts "Internet" kan medborgare förvänta sig att få tillgång till idag, och vilken sorts tillgång blir effekten av Telekompaketet?
En öppen och transparent tredjebehandling kräver både föreberedelser och ordentliga svar på dessa frågor. Du är varmt välkommen att delta i detta seminariums bidrag till debatten.
REGISTRERING: http://greens-efa-service.eu/event/telecom
14:00-16:00: Panel I - Omfattning och Makt
Ledd av Christian Engström, MEP
Jeffrey Lawrence
Director global content policy, Intel Corporation
Piratkopiering, innehållsfiltrering och teknikkrav: Teknik, politik och historia - en inblick i politiska och tekniska frågor som väcks av de tekniska kraven på filtrering.
Innocenzo Genna
Council Officer, Euroispa
Det finns tydliga förväntningar på en hållbar och innovativ marknad för lagligt innehåll på nätet, vilket är skälet till att internetleverantörer och telekombolag gör omfattande investeringar i infrastruktur, mjukvara och tjänster. Aktuella problemområden är det begränsade utbudet av lagligt innehåll: piratkopiering är bara ett symptom på det, inte orsaken.
Andriani Ferti
Associate, Clifford Chance LLP
Behovet för Europa att erkänna och bevara internets nyckelroll i att främja demokratin och det öppna samhället; att etablera ett balanserat skydd för europeiska medborgares grundläggande rättigheter i internet-eran.
Francisco Mingorance
Senior Director of Government Affairs, BSA
Avstängning från Internet och utdelandet av sanktioner/straff mot påstådda intrångsgörare utan någon rättprocess förutom kontraktsbrott. Påtvingandet av bred innehållsidentifiering i antipiratsyfte och krav på filtreringsteknologi på alla internetanvändare, eller alla datorer och mjukvara som används för att nå Internet, genom lagstiftning, administrativa beslut eller juridiska beslut.
Malte Behrmann
General Secretary EGDF (www.egdf.eu), Geschäftsführer Politik GAME e.V., Bundesverband der Entwickler von Computerspielen.
Spelutveckling står under dramatiska förändringar just nu, och onlinespel blir allt viktigare. Europas betydelse ökar. Basen för denna innovation är dock nätverksneutralitet.
16:00-18:00: Panel II - Tillgång
Ledd av Eva Lichtenberger, MEP
Thomas Nortvedt
Rådgivare/advokatfullmäktig, Juridiska avdelningen, Norska Förbrukerrådet
Internetleverantörer borde inte vara administrativa verktyg i den pågående processen att upprätthålla upphovsrätten, och inte heller borde internetleverantörer eftersträva att hantera trafik på sina nätverk baserat på innehåll eller konsumentens val av applikationer. Internet bör förbli en öppen och icke-diskriminerande plattform för alla former av kommunikation och innehållsdistribution
Magnus Eriksson
Forskare vid Interaktiva Institutet (www.tii.se), representant för det ledande svenska nätverket för internet-intellektuella, Juliagruppen (www.juliagruppen.se)
"Mere conduit"-principen ("bara en neutral förmedlare") är inte bara en förutsättning för Internet som vi känner det idag, utan också för att möjliggöra framväxten av nya hybrider mellan konstverk och nätverk.
Caroline De Cock
Executive Director VON Europe (inte bekräftad)
Blockering av P2P kommer sannolikt att påverka VoIP-applikationer. Konsumenter bör få tillgång till de tjänster, de applikationer och det innehåll de själva önskar på vilket publikt nätverk som helst, oberoende av vilken leverantör som erbjuder dem.
Jérémie Zimmermann
Medgrundare och talesperson för La Quadrature du Net (http://www.laquadrature.net), Paris-baserad organisation som försvarar medborgerliga rättigheter i den digitala miljön.
Hur access till ett neutralt och öppet Internet är fundamentalt för våra samhällen som ett skydd för grundläggande fri- och rättigheter, konkurrens och innovation. Hur man ska se på dessa fördelar i ljuset av underhållsindustrins taktiker med syfte att bevara sina affärsmodeller (dvs. "three strikes"-principer)
Paolo Brini
Talesperson för Movimento ScambioEtico (www.scambioetico.org)
Principerna om "mere conduit" och icke-diskriminerande tillgång till Internet har varit nyckelfaktorer i utvecklingen av informationssamhället i EU, men det modifierade ramverket beskrivet i Telekompaketet ger makt åt privata företag och myndigheter att komma runt den första och bryta mot den andra.
