Advocacy and Awareness campaigns to preserve net neutrality

Project: Advocacy and Awareness campaigns to preserve net neutrality
General objective: Promote and protect human rights in the digital age, in particular freedom of expression, the right to information and privacy.
Specific objectives:

  1. Amendment of Articles 180 and 181 of the Press Code;
  2. Amendment of Article 27 of the Electronic Communications Code Bill;
  3. Inclusion in the law of an Internet definition based on the principle of free and open access;
  4. Supervision of the use of network monitoring technologies to protect the secrecy of correspondence and the integrity of electronic communications;
  5. Promote a citizen use of the internet, respectful of human rights.

Beneficiaries: All internet users in Senegal
Duration: started in May 2017, it is still in progress

Net neutrality in Senegal, is being challenged by the new “code of electronic communications” signed in December 2018. The code sets out measures that are directly in contradiction to net neutrality: network operators should be allowed to block, throttle, or charge internet services and content providers as a pre-condition for them being able to reach consumers, establishing a paid prioritization of internet traffic.
This design could harm the communications ecosystem of Senegal and impact consumer, innovators and local SMBs. It could, also, harm freedom of expression by giving ISPs power to control public discourse. In addition, the present text could impose barriers of entry to education by limiting sources of information for students and researchers.
We elaborated this project in order to mitigate the consequences of the code.

Main activities:

  1. Field actions conducted to meet and interact directly with civil society organizations;
  2. Press conferences;
  3. Panels with press;
  4. Online communication;
  5. Advocacy and awareness campaigns through radios, TV broadcasts and talk show;
  6. Production and distribution of communication materials.

Outcomes

• Organization of a National Conference on Net Neutrality;
• Organization of a joint press conference with 16 national, African and international civil society organizations ;
• Publication of a statement signed by 305 Senegalese civil society organizations;
• Participation in 14 workshops and seminars ;
• Publication of 31 press releases.

Significant achievements
• First Senegalese civil society organization recognized expert in ICT policies and digital rights;
• We have built a national coalition to respond to issues we are facing;
• Citizens are becoming more and more aware of the difficulties that hinder access to quality ICT service that is accessible and affordable;
• Citizens are becoming more and more aware about their digital rights.

Challenges
Changes are moving very slowly. The presence of the State of Senegal in the capital of the major mobile networks operator and ISP appears as the main obstacle to the development of the ICT.
The State is at the same time, a shareholder, public policy maker, regulator, and client. We cannot be judge and party. So, the major challenge is to push the state to leave the capital of this company to foster a legal and institutional framework for ICT development to improve people lives.