Net Neutrality talk with the FTC

May be you remember that I wrote I will be talking to the FTC on the subject of Net Neturality?

Well, the conversation was yesterday, and it was quite an experience.

So, it was me and people from the FTC – from the Bureau of Competition, from the Bureau of Consumer Protection, from the Bureau of Economics; from the Office of Congressional Relations, from the Bureau of Policy Planning (Greg), and from the Office of the General Counsel.
Conference leader was Maureen Ohlhausen, chair of the Internet Access Task Force.

We spent about 70 minutes going all over the world, with focus on the existing situation about access to the Internet in the USA, Europe, Korea and Japan.

I have sent them in advance my presentation from South Africa, so they already knew some of the major point.
However, the conversation went also on discussing all different items: legal framework in Europe vis-a-vis Internet access; best examples of Bulgarian legal framework, which is one of the most liberal in the world.

I can not publish the whole conversation here, but have to tell you – the people at the FTC and esp. at the IATF know the subject pretty well. The process is that they listen, and then ask questions. What a great variety of questions. We went all over the history of Internet access in a number of countries, we discussed in depth the situation in the USA. These people, they really know what they are talking about. I was quite nicely impressed by the high quality of the people working at the IATF.

I hope that they will use the information I told them wisely, and will help positively the debate on Net Neutrality. Help the users. Because the FTC can make a difference in this debate. And because whatever happens in the USA on this subject, it may – and most probably will – influence the global development of the Internet worldwide.

Today I have greater confidence in the future of the Internet in the USA, after talking to these people.

Hope that they will do their best to make the Internet accessible and affordable.