InternetNZ supports President Obama's plan for an open and free Internet

Overnight, US President Barack Obama made some startling announcements about his plan for an open and free Internet.

In a televised address, President Obama advocated for a change in regulation so that Internet was treated as a utility. He also set out "bright line rules" to apply to Internet service providers that InternetNZ believes form a linchpin in policy covering Internet service provision – and that should be up for debate in New Zealand.

InternetNZ CEO Jordan Carter said that it was very pleasing to see the announcement from President Obama as the battle over net neutrality in the United States is getting tense.

" President Obama has set out four solid principles for network neutrality. He said that there should be no blocking, no throttling, increased transparency in the industryand no paid prioritisation of Internet traffic.

"All of these principles are incredibly important to maximising the benefits the Internet can bring us. An open and uncaptureable Internet will unleash more innovation than a captured and closed one."

InternetNZ is working towards a better world through a better Internet and is developing a discussion paper on Net Neutrality to make sure New Zealand doesn’t fall behind the U.S. – or any other country.

"We want to lead the discussion about what Net Neutrality looks like in a New Zealand context. The principles that Obama has set out are another piece in the puzzle, and are part of the discussion we need to have," Mr Carter says.

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