Brussels, 12th February 2014

Commission Policy on Internet Governance Guarantees Support for Free Global Internet, But Leaves Many Questions Unanswered

Brussels - The Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) welcomes the Communication by the European Commission on Internet Governance Wednesday. An open Internet, and an open and transparent model of Internet governance, is vital to the ongoing development of the Internet - the trading platform of the 21st century.

The Commission’s stance is both forward-looking and constructive and indicates Europe’s willingness to be a global leader on the issue. However, it leaves many questions unanswered about how Internet governance should be reformed.

The issue of Internet Governance has undergone a profound transformation in recent months from a technical issue to one of mainstream politics.  

The following can be attributed to CCIA Vice-President James Waterworth:

“I am pleased that the European Commission has pledged its support for a truly open, free and global Internet and will take that position into the Brazil Summit in April this year. It is vital that Europe leads liberal democracies in supporting a multilateral and multi stakeholder system of Internet governance that does not hand control over critical Internet resources to an intergovernmental institution or to governments.”

“The Commission has set itself ambitious goals to broaden participation in Internet governance processes and I hope it will provide adequate funding and support to make this happen. It must also carefully balance its wish for increased public policy input in technical processes and standard setting with its desire for an open Internet; public policy is not always oriented towards freedom.”

“Also of note for companies is the willingness to tackle conflicts of laws and jurisdictions. Success in this area would provide legal certainty to Internet companies and users of Internet services.”
 

About CCIA: CCIA is an international, nonprofit association representing a broad cross section of computer, communications and Internet industry firms. CCIA remains dedicated, as it has for over 40 years, to promoting innovation and preserving full, fair and open competition throughout our industry. Our members employ more than 600,000 people and generate annual revenues in excess of $200 billion. For more, please go to: www.ccianet.org
 

Heather Greenfield  
202-783-0070 ext 113

James Waterworth 
+32 477 782 563 
jwaterworth@ccianet.org