31 organizations from 21 countries press FCC to support Net Neutrality because of U.S. leadership on global issue
Today 31 organizations from five continents delivered a letter to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission in support of strong Net Neutrality rules. Citing the U.S. influence on internet policymaking around the world, the groups implored the FCC to vote in favor of the proposed rules released by FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler on February 26. The letter also warns against disingenuous moves by U.S. Congress with a bill that, rather than protecting Net Neutrality, would undermine the FCC’s authority.
“The rest of the world is closely watching the U.S. for principled leadership on Net Neutrality,” said Deji Olukotun, Senior Advocacy Manager at Access, which convenes the coalition. “Our partners across the globe are working to build an open and inclusive net, and the FCC’s decision with have an enormous impact on their work.”
The letter includes signatories from countries as diverse as Uganda, Pakistan, South Korea, Iceland, Jordan, Venezuela, Thailand, Chile, the Netherlands, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Organizations include Access, Jordan Open Source Association, KICTANET, Net Neutrality Forum of Korea, ONG Derechos Digitales, OpenMedia.org, Thai Netizen Network, Electronic Frontier Foundation, and Witness.
The letter concludes that the FCC still must establish rules regarding important details: “While we recognize that these rules — however strong — would be a necessary baseline for the future implementation of additional protections, and that we still await the full text of the rules, one thing is clear: securing Net Neutrality protections in the U.S. is a major step in the effort to foster an open internet around the world.”
The full text of the letter is available here. For quotes from members of the Global Net Neutrality Coalition, of which many of these organizations are members, please see this prior press release here.