Topic: Net Neutrality
Country: Greece
Delegate Name: Catherine Huang
School: Grand Blanc High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Greece position papers GLIMUN 2016 committees
Net neutrality, also known as open Internet, means that all websites, advertisements, and social media posts online are treated equally. It says Internet service providers (ISPs) do not have the right to discriminate against or block specific content. Net neutrality also means that a company cannot pay extra to ISPs to obtain faster content delivery speed, ensuring that small and large enterprises have equal rights to utilize the Internet. In 2015, the European Union passed regulations to strengthen net neutrality. They banned ISPs from favoring certain web traffic over others, with a few exceptions such as to manage data congestion or comply with a legal order. However, some digital rights advocates were still unsatisfied and thought the exceptions should be more narrow. The issue of net neutrality will grow because more and more people use the Internet. These users will need guidelines to uphold their rights to freedom of speech and protect small markets from oppressive companies.
Officially, Greece has no position on net neutrality. We only respectfully listen to what our fellow European Union members have to say. Out of the twenty-eight states in the EU, twenty-three have established opinions. The purpose of the EU uniting to discuss net neutrality is to offer inspiration to each other and ensure compatibility. If any guidelines are recommended, Greece wants to hear them. The debates over net neutrality affect our country because over sixty percent of our population use the Internet. That is several million people who want to search information online, start a business, or express a thought on social media. In particular, beginning entrepreneurs struggle when internet service providers give unfair speeds to already successful monopolies. The many startup businesses in Greece are having trouble paying for web services such as those from Google and Amazon. New businesses must be given the right to advertise online and make profit because they evolve into the future. As of now, Greece has no Internet restrictions that stop people from expressing themselves in emails, statements, or phone calls.
Greece plans to do whatever is necessary to uphold the civil rights of our citizens. This will most likely follow the direction of the European Union, which is towards enforced net neutrality. However, we don’t intend to implement the many exceptions to non-interference that the EU suggested. Our country has already fared well with our absence of Internet use restrictions. Greece has a much, much lower crime rate than the U.S., so there is no reason for us to start monitoring all citizens’ online actions now. Our primary concern is that small businesses are shoved to “slow lane” Internet speeds. We propose that internet service providers across the United Nations be prohibited from selling faster speed to any company. After all, Greece receives some of our data service from foreign sources. This will enable all members of the UN, not just Greece, to stand on equal ground when it comes to business and advertising.
