lighting, Diplomacy

[Webinar] The fight for Net Neutrality

29 June 2014 -

Online

Event description

Net Neutrality is going through a turbulent time. New rulings in the USA, new decisions at the European Parliament, and strong opinions from tech giants and activists have been moulding this principle into a set of rules that will affect millions of Internet users. What have the main developments been, and what can we expect soon?

[Update] The webinar recording and digest are available here.

Following the recent ruling of a US federal appeals court that struck down the Federal Communications Commission's Open Internet rules – determining that the FCC does not have the power to require Internet service providers ISPs) to treat all traffic equally – the FCC is now being encouraged to re-label broadband as a utility. Brazil has adopted its Marco Civil with strong provisions on Net Neutrality. At the same time, NETmundial has recommended that Net Neutrality be further discussed at the next IGF in Istanbul. Across the ocean, the European Parliament recently voted to restrict ISPs' ability to charge for faster network access.

At the same time, citizens’ protests are being staged in the USA to demand regulatory approaches to protect the Open Internet, while tech giants continue to insist on their right to charge for ‘specialised services’ and the benefits of tiered access for the Internet economy.

Diplo's Net Neutrality expert Vladimir Radunovic will lead the discussion in our June IG webinar dedicated to the subject.

  • What developments have taken place over the past few months?
  • What are the main disagreements and open issues to be discussed?
  • What are the possible implications of national trends taking place in developed countries on developing countries?
  • What are the prospects of Net Neutrality discussions across the globe, including in the USA, Europe, and at the IGF?

Join us on Monday, 30th June, at 12:00 pm GMT, to discuss the developments and prospects for Net Neutrality. Webinar participants will be able to discuss the topic with our speakers. Attendance is free; registration is required. Please register here.

For background information, view the video, take a closer look at the illustration, and refer to related links at the bottom.

Registrations are now closed.