Brussels, 19/04/2012 (Agence Europe) - In a speech to the World Wide Web Conference in Lyons on Thursday 19 April, Digital Agenda Commissioner Neelie Kroes argued that an open, neutral internet is the only way to go, whether to tackle oppression or the feeling that one is forced to use a particular website or a particular brand. “For me, openness means giving every person a forum in which they can express themselves. Every creator a way to be rewarded and recognised for their work. The security that ensures liberty for all. And services that transparently provide the consumer with what they've asked for and pay for” she stated. She said there was a need for an environment where different models compete openly and where consumers can choose openly.
The commissioner believes that it is time to change the current approach on copyright which is completely out of kilter with the realities of the digital world. Restrictions on content are too great because of the lack of flexibility in the current system, and this means consumers miss out, she said, calling for openness to different online business models. “If we are too rigid or too constraining in our approach, we will put artificial limits on innovation and discovery. And that's not being open”, she warned. Kroes believes that it is her duty to work to maintain Net neutrality. “Everyone should have the option of full access to a robust, best-efforts internet. But, once again, openness here is a subtle term. For me it does not mean banning all targeted or limited offers: it means being transparent about them”, she argued. She turned, lastly, to look at open standards and procurement. Here she wants governments to be free to use open standards in their public tenders. The European Commission will publish the preliminary findings of a study commissioned by BEREC, the European Telecoms Authority, to find out if consumers enjoy full internet access and if they can choose the services they themselves want to access and which transparently provide them with what they are looking for. The findings will feed into and inform the Commission's future policy guaranteeing unlimited internet access to all. (IL/transl.rt)