Overall permission of mVoIP? Ministry of Science, ICT, and Future Planning should provide the consumers with accurate information – Now is the time for net neutrality legislation movement!

Overall permission of mVoIP? Ministry of Science, ICT, and Future Planning should provide the consumers with accurate information

– Now is the time for net neutrality legislation movement!

 On June 30^th, Ministry of Science, ICTm and Future Planning announced <2014 household communication expense reduction plan>. The press release from the Ministry clearly states ‘overall permission of mVoIP. Nevertheless, the details clearly differ from the title. Every data plan allows mVoIp usage with limits.

Ministry of Science’s misleading press release!

 Ministry’s such announcement was expected. On December 4^th, 2013, Ministry of Science stated it will “allow mVoIP for all smartphone data plans by 2014” announcing <Reasonable network traffic control and standards for traffic control transparency> (traffic control standard). In our statement, we expressed our concerns about the possibility of telecommunications companies limiting the amount of data used for mVoIP. In our public statement, we have warned that such actions of telecommunications companies “will be the violation of net neutrality and will not meet the network traffic control standards. And Ministry of Science will face harsh criticism for its lies” (2013. 12. 12 Net neutrality user forum http://nnforum.kr/82)

Traffic control standard became meaningless

Due to Ministry’s recent action, ‘net neutrality guideline’ and ‘traffic control standard’ became meaningless. ‘Traffic control standard’ states that “the Internet service providers should not discriminate by user, content, application, and attached equipment that do no harm to the network.” But recent Ministry’s announcement still allows the telecommunications companies to limit mVoIP applications.

The Ministry and telecommunications companies might argue that such policies are types of “plans,” but allowing such plans that discriminate lawful contents makes ‘net neutrality guideline’ and ‘traffic control standard’ meaningless.

We will start the net neutrality legislation movement!

 Net neutrality is not mere household expense reduction plan. It is a principle that keeps the net service providers from arbitrarily discriminating Internet contents and a precondition for keeping the Internet to be free and innovative.

 The Ministry of Science seems to be lacking the basic understanding and will for net neutrality. Now the lawmakers should step up and guarantee the principle of net neutrality through law. We will keep our fight until net neutrality is required by law.