French Parliament to Consider Net Neutrality Law

Paris, 15 February 2011 – Net Neutrality in France is the subject simultaneously of government attacks and parliamentary efforts to protect it. After French Minister for Digital Economy Éric Besson’s direct attack, the French Parliament will on Thursday discuss a bill which strongly supports the principles of Net Neutrality. La Quadrature du Net calls on its supporters to contact French MPs and ask them to support this proposal in order to protect a free Internet.

Free Open Internet and “Internet”
(CC) BySa La Quadrature du Net

Following French Minister for digital economy, Éric Besson’s recent full-on attacks¹In Le Monde, Eric Besson was reported to advocate for priority lanes on the “information highways”: http://www.lemonde.fr/technologies/article/2011/02/08/eric-besson-la-neutralite-du-net-et-les-autoroutes-de-l-information_1476719_651865.html [FR] on Net Neutrality, MPs will have the opportunity this Thursday to demonstrate to their voters how well they represent them during a debate on this proposal led by rapporteur Christian Paul (PS, socialist).

The bill, drafted through an exemplary process and debate with members of civil society²Several versions of the bill generated hundreds of comments from experts and citizens., clearly sets out a number of principles guaranteeing the Internet’s neutrality and fairness. The contents of this bill allow for controlled exceptions, e.g. for security or specialised needs, in cases where these policies would not endanger the fundamental qualities of the Internet as a whole. This bill will be discussed in a plenary session on Thursday 17 February. La Quadrature du Net calls on French MPs to show their commitment to the Internet’s founding principles by adopting it.

Philippe Aigrain, co-founder of the citizen advocacy group La Quadrature du Net, declares: “By voting as massively as possible in favor of this Net Neutrality bill, MPs have the opportunity to send the government a clear message: the Internet is not for sale, and it is not a lawless environment where all discriminations are possible.”

Jérémie Zimmermann, co-founder and spokesperson of La Quadrature du Net, adds: “We all have the opportunity to take part in this essential debate in order to save the Internet we love – one Internet for everyone, where each of us can express ourselves and innovate, rather than a discrimination-based Internet, subject to the whim of telecom operators. Everyone can participate by calling their MP³A campaign page can be found here: http://www.laquadrature.net/wiki/Appel_a_voter_la_proposition_de_loi_Christian_Paul_sur_la_Neutralite_du_Net and asking them to support Christian Paul’s bill.”