Mobilisation Telecoms-Package IMCO-ITRE March31

Next ITRE meeting is 16 April in Brussels (9h00 to 12h30 in room ASP 5G3)

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OBJECTIVE: Contact your MEPs and their assistants before March 31st, the date of the vote in IMCO and ITRE committee, to inform them about amendments to "Telecoms Package" second reading that are dangerous for users' freedom and would allow "net discrimination" (against the theorical "network neutrality") and legalize "three strikes" / "graduated response" schemes in Europe.

Advise your MEPs to vote according to La Quadrature's voting recommendations

Please use the advice we have here for you and help modify and improve it.

We need YOU to contact urgently, in this order of priority:

1. The "shadow" rapporteurs: Bernadette VERGNAUD (PSE, FR), Cristian Silviu BUŞOI (ALDE, Romania), Godfrey BLOOM (IND/DEM, United Kingdom), Heide RÜHLE (Greens/ALE, Germany), and André BRIE (GUE/NGL, Germany)
2. Presidents of political groups, to ask them to suggest members of their groups chairing in IMCO and ITRE committee to follow La Quadrature's voting recommendations.
3. Members of IMCO who scored good in the first reading vote of the Telecoms Package in Sept 24th 2008 and ITRE who scored good as well in Sept 24th vote
4. Every other member of the IMCO committee
5. Every other member of ITRE committee
6. The rapporteurs: Catherine TRAUTMANN (PSE, FR) and Malcom HARBOUR (PPE, UK)
7. Every other MEP (priority to those of your country).

Ask them to drop or reject the amendments allowing Telecoms operators to put Net Discrimination into place (more infos on the topic in the Net Discrimination dossier by La Quadrature du Net / to reject amendments related to Intellectual Property Rights, which are completly unrelated to the Telecoms Package / Ask them to vote for amendments protecting citizen's freedoms.

Resources and arguments

Voting recommendations

THE MAIN RESOURCE IS NOW THE amendments analysis and voting recommendations.

Other resources

• Main page about Telecoms Package
• Poll conducted over a panel of EU citizens showing that 91% of them don't want "net discrimination"
• Other resources about Telecoms Package
• Net Discrimination dossier by La Quadrature du Net
• “Lawtracks”, a facility enabling a comparison of the different versions of the Telecoms Package texts

General advice about contacting MEPs

• A phone call is 100 times more efficient than an email! Phonecalls are personal and are harder to avoid than emails.
• A cut/paste email has *negative* impact: it weakens the content and make it look like spam.
• MEPs assistants who will answer are most of the time young and intelligent people who understand the importance of these issues. All of them use Internet.
• Always be polite in your communications. MEPs and their assistants are people just like us.
• After sending a short email explaining your concerns in a few words, and containing as an attachment the note of La Quadrature, you can make a phonecall. This may be more useful as it has more impact than an email. (MEP's offices are saturated with mails)
• Make your correspondent understand that you are voting in his area and that elections are near.
• Don't hesitate to offer to send additional information by email, as a follow-up.
• If your correspondent offers to call back but doesn't, don't hesitate to call back. MEPs and their assistants are often very busy.
• If you don't find the answer to a question, note it down and offer you correspondent to call back once you'll have it. Don't hesitate to submit it to us (contact AT laquadrature.net, #laquadrature on irc.freenode.net or discussion list: discut AT laquadrature.net)
• As a rule: have at hand what you need for note taking, to note down the name of your correspondent, information they might give you, a list of blocking points you may work on before calling back, remaining questions, documents you need to send to them, etc.

Phone call example

• Hello, i am ... , living in ..., I am calling you today regarding the Telecoms Package, as I understand mrs/mr MEP is working on it, and there is an important vote on March the 31st.
• (let your correspondent introduce herself, give her opinion and infos on the question, etc.)
• I have sent you an email outlining my concerns, published by La Quadrature du Net. did you read it yet?
• Depending on what your correspondent answers:
  • If she didn't read it: It explains that instead of protecting the consumer, the Telecoms Package directives could allow surveillance and control over the internet, loss of control of personal data, by means such as the "graduated response" of the french president Sarkozy, and "net discrimination" asked by AT&T. What do you think about that?
  • If she did read it: What do you think of its conclusions that, instead of protecting the consumer, the Telecoms Package directives could allow surveillance and control over the internet, by means such as the "graduated response" of the french president Sarkozy, and "net discrimination" asked by AT&T?

• Depending the MEP you're in relation with:
  • If she's a member of IMCO committee: Will Mrs/Mr MEP vote against those dispositions, and specifically the amendments 136=137=138 and vote for amendments 135 and 72=146 on the March 31st vote? (Ask for a strong commitment or the reasons for a refusal)
  • If she's a member of ITRE committee: Will Mrs/Mr MEP vote against those dispositions, and specifically the amendment 45 and vote for amendments 46=135 and 134 on the March 31st vote? (Ask for a strong commitment or the reasons for a refusal)
  • If she's a group president: Will Mrs/Mr MEP ask to the members of IMCO or ITRE commitee from the GroupName group to reject those dispositions, and especially amendements 136=137=138 and 45 and vote for amendments 46=135 and 72=146 on the March 31st vote? (Ask for a strong commitment, or the reasons of a refusal)

• • If she isn't member of neither IMCO nor ITRE committee: Will Mrs/Mr MEP explain the problem to her/his colleages from IMCO or ITRE committee so those dispositions be rejected, and especially amendements 136=137=138 and 45 and vote for amendments 46=135 and 72=146 on the March 31st vote? (Ask for a strong commitment or the reasons for a refusal)

• Thank you for your attention. I may send you complimentary informations by email, including a voting list, and call you again if needed. Don't hesitate to contact me if you have questions, or directly to La Quadrature du Net by sending an email to contact AT laquadrature.net. Have a nice day!

List of common, major, blocking arguments

Please write here the arguments you are given in order to refuse your call, to discourage you to call again, or to refute your arguments. We will try to answer them as quickly as possible.