
Tag: Net Neutrality



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Net Neutrality rules ban fast and slow lanes, but leave zero rating in place
After a lot anticipation and hand wringing, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission finally released its rules about how it will implement its landmark Open Internet Order. The rules — which run some 300 pages — block the creation of fast and slow lanes and appropriately classify broadband internet as a “telecommunications service” under Title II of the Communications Act.…
12 March 2015

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Net Neutrality Battle in Europe Far from Over
One thing has remained clear — European internet users strongly support Net Neutrality and want the EU to pass the strongest rules possible. As discussions of the Telecoms Single Market text were taking place, the EU Commissioner for Digital Economy & Society, Günther Oettinger, absurdly compared the internet advocacy community and the Pirate Party to the Taliban…
10 March 2015

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RightsCon Southeast Asia: New Frontiers in Digital Rights
Two weeks from now, Access will head to Manila to host RightsCon — our signature conference featuring digital rights activists, companies, government officials, technologists, and academics — together with our partners Engage Media and the Foundation for Media Alternatives. We’ll be tackling the most pressing issues affecting digital rights and the open internet.…
5 March 2015

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Latest Net Neutrality proposal in the EU: a wolf in sheep’s clothing?
Today, 28 member states of the European Union presented a joint proposal on the Telecoms Single Market — legislation that will determine whether Net Neutrality will become a reality throughout Europe. The proposal officially triggered the start of joint negotiations between the EU Commission, the EU Parliament, and the Council of the EU to produce a final text. …
4 March 2015


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You Spoke Out, and They Listened: U.S. FCC Passes Strong Net Neutrality Rules
Today the U.S. Federal Communications Commission listened to the more than 4 million voices who asked for the agency to protect the open net. Voting 3-2 in favor of Net Neutrality, the agency re-classified broadband internet under Title II of the Communications Act—the strongest protections currently available. The move caps off almost a decade of activism by civil society groups in the U.S., but also pressure from groups outside the country including members of the Global Net Neutrality coalition.…
26 February 2015

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Dear U.S. FCC: Net Neutrality Rules Must Ban Zero Rating. Period.
Next week, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission will vote on rules that, it says, would finally put in place Net Neutrality protections for U.S. internet users. While we are optimistic about the strength of these rules, we’re also worried they will fail to adequately protect against so-called “zero rating” services — schemes devised by internet providers and services like Facebook, Wikimedia, and Spotify in which app usage doesn’t count against data caps —and other forms of price discrimination. A failure to include such language in the FCC’s new rules would not only render them weaker than what came before, but would also create a giant opening for Verizon and other carriers to perpetrate rampant online discrimination.…
20 February 2015


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The World Is Watching: 31 Rights Groups from 21 Countries Urge the FCC to Protect Net Neutrality
This week 31 digital rights groups from some 21 countries on five continents urged the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to pass strong Net Neutrality rules that that would reclassify broadband providers under Title II of the Communications Act. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler gave encouraging signs that he intends to propose rules that would harness the full extent of the FCC’s authority on February 26, yet members of the U.S. Congress and some ISPs are already on the attack. …
10 February 2015


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Access cheers FCC move toward Net Neutrality
Today U.S. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler confirmed that the agency will move to pass strong Net Neutrality protections later this month. Any action by Congress to roll back FCC authority or threaten common carrier status for broadband providers will meet thunderous opposition, by U.S. users as well as international communities.…
4 February 2015


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Access Spotlights the Hot Digital Rights Issues of 2015
2014 was a major year for digital rights, with some significant victories and some worrying setbacks. 2015 is poised to be no different. This year, we asked Access staff to spotlight the big digital freedom issues for 2015. And we’ll need your help in the fight for digital freedom around the globe. …
9 January 2015




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More than 35 organizations from 19 countries launch Global Net Neutrality Coalition
Anyone who thinks that net neutrality is a boring issue for computer geeks needs to look outside the U.S. Countries around the world are championing the cause of an open internet by pushing for laws and policies that protect the features that made the internet what it is today. And they are just as fired up about net neutrality as President Obama himself was just this month, when he gave his full support for the open net. Net neutrality is not an American issue, or a European issue, or an African issue. It is increasingly a global issue.…
24 November 2014


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Commissioners hearings: The many faces of Digital in the new European Commission
On October 22nd, twenty-seven new European Commissioners selected by President-Elect Jean-Claude Juncker are set to be confirmed by the European Parliament. In the 5 years ahead, a certain number of these incoming Commissioners will have a huge influence on digital rights and security issues that impact the lives of European citizens and, indirectly, the rest of the world. …
19 October 2014

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NGOs and industry join forces in an open letter sent to the Council of Ministers on Net Neutrality
Today, Access together with several NGOs, consumer groups, and industry representatives sent an open letter to the Council of the European Union, calling for Telecoms ministers to support strong net neutrality rules in the E.U.. The Council is currently reviewing the proposal of the Telecoms Single Market Regulation, voted on by the European Parliament in April. …
1 October 2014

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Today Is the Internet Slowdown
Today a broad coalition of groups and companies is participating in the “Internet Slowdown” — a day of action in which sites around the web are covered in symbolic “loading” icons to remind everyone of what an internet without net neutrality would look like. Access is proud to participate in the action.…
10 September 2014

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Wikipedia Zero and net neutrality: Wikimedia turns its back on the open internet
Wikipedia’s vision is “a world in which every single human being can freely share in the sum of all knowledge.” It’s a value that we at Access share. So we were shocked last week when the Wikimedia Foundation, which supports and hosts Wikipedia, turned its back on the greatest driver of open access to information the world has ever known, the open internet.…
8 August 2014