State Secretary Herkes opens second "Expert dialogue on network neutrality"
Anne Ruth Herkes, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, today launched the second "expert dialogue on network neutrality". Experts from the worlds of politics, business, science and society came together to discuss issues of competition and media law with respect to network neutrality, and are also considering where there is need for action in this area.
State Secretary Herkes stated: "The dynamic of the internet is unthinkable without the free and neutral transfer of data. To safeguard this transfer, the German Government is promoting transparency and competition. The first expert dialogue on network neutrality led by the Federal Economics Ministry showed that it is possible to maintain the free transfer of data while still introducing new business models for the financing of high-performance network infrastructures. It is the task of politics to support this dynamic development through the necessary adjustments to the policy environment and by ensuring that there are fair conditions."
The second expert dialogue provided an opportunity to consider the changing roles of content and application providers, of manufacturers of terminal equipment, and of network operators in particular in greater detail.
State Secretary Herkes commented: "Modern data networks are increasingly being used for the transmission of telemedia and broadcasting services. We are looking for answers to the question as to how the business and social opportunities provided by new worlds of media can be used in state-of-the-art data networks whilst still protecting freedom of opinion and media pluralism. As we look for different approaches to solve these issues, we want to reach a close agreement between all parties involved from the worlds of business and civil society, in order to determine sustainable approaches for the future of the internet."
