Today EFF is proud to join 35 groups from 19 countries around the world to officially launch the campaign website of a new global coalition for net neutrality, at http://www.thisisnetneutrality.org/.
The breadth and diversity of this coalition underlines how net neutrality has truly become a global issue. While Internet users in the United States are speaking up in favor of the reclassification of broadband as a telecommunications service, across the Atlantic activists are also fighting to preserve Europe's open Internet, which has been placed in jeopardy again this week. (Europeans can take action here.)
Although the powerful players in the net neutrality debate and the appropriate solutions to address the problem differ from country to country, the underlying objectives of open Internet advocates around the world are the same. That's why we have decided to come together to clearly state those objectives with a unified voice. The first step in speaking together was to agree on a simple shared definition of net neutrality, translated into eleven languages:
Net neutrality requires that the Internet be maintained as an open platform, on which network providers treat all content, applications and services equally, without discrimination.
This definition doesn't imply that Internet providers can't use reasonable methods to manage their networks, for example to ensure that all applications from voice calls to downloads run smoothly, or to secure their networks from malicious uses like denial-of-service attacks. Neither does it mean they can't offer users different tiers of service at different price points, such as a residential-level service and a business-level service.
But it does mean that these measures must not be used as a pretext to police communications on their networks, to bestow unfair commercial advantages on their own or particular third-party content, or to create a walled garden where only certain applications, services or protocols are welcome.
Of course our work doesn't end with just a definition. Right now coalition members from around the world are working to develop an information bank that will be hosted at http://www.thisisnetneutrality.org/ containing details of net neutrality laws, policies and practices in their countries, which can be used as an advocacy and education resource. Using this information, we aim to prove that high speeds and low costs for users are compatible with an open, competitive Internet.
Help us spread the word about why net neutrality isn't just an issue that affects one country, but is a fundamental building block of the Internet we want around the world. Attached to this post are images that you can use to signal your support for this new global coalition on your social network of choice.