- Giuseppe de Martino, Director of Regulatory Affairs. DailyMotion, FR
- Johan Hallenborg, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, SE
- Malcolm Hutty, Chair, EuroISPA
- Mr. David Merkel, Global Trust Council, SE
- Max Senges, Chair, IGF's Dynamic Coalition on Internet Rights and Principles
- Frode Sørensen, Norwegian Post and Telecommunication Authority (NPT)
- Michael Wagner, EBU
- Youth representative: Filippa de Laval, European Youth Forum, SE

 

Participants were keen to define what this concept actually means for them – referring instead / more precisely (following the Norwegian guidelines on network neutrality) to users’ access without discrimination (in detail: users’ ability to access, use and distribute the (legal) content, services and applications of their choice without discrimination.)

- All agreed that it is crucial is to provide fair and equal access to the Internet and the content that runs over it.
- As convergence translates into a rapid evolution of business models, an important concern going forwards would be to ensure that quality content continues to be generated and distributed over the Internet, by both public and commercial broadcasters – which could also a likely cure to piracy.
- In this perspective, most panellists stressed that we should ensure the openness of the Internet, in the interest of users, but also of content providers: content is worthless if users are prevented to access it. This was also described as being in line with existing human rights law.
- The new EU regulatory Framework for telecoms, if finalised in the current way, lays down basic principles, including transparency of access, non-discrimination and combating abuses to competition, possibility to lay down rules.
- But all participants noted that regulation or legislation should be introduced with caution. A multi-stakeholder approach, such as that developed in Norway with the ensuing adoption by all stakeholders of network neutrality guidelines.

Follow-up:

- ‘Concept of stakeholder / cooperative regulation’: we need an ongoing debate on management of the Internet. European Forum on Network Management bringing together ISPs, regulators, users, applications providers, to understand latest trends, implications for the market, for network investment and for innovation; technological realities; and exchange and agreement / commitment on best practices / guidelines. [the CoE and EBU should offer to host this Forum, perhaps with the support of the European Commission]

- CoE needs to consider further and formally the relation between the open Internet (end-users’ access to Internet content, services and applications) and fundamental rights (freedom of expression, communication and information), issuing guidance as relevant, such as a standard-setting document.