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CRTC Issues Net Neutrality Rules

An anonymous reader writes "The CRTC today introduced a new framework to guide Internet service providers in their use of Internet traffic management practices. ISPs will be required to inform retail customers at least 30 days, and wholesale customers at least 60 days, before an Internet traffic management practice takes effect. At that time, ISPs will need to describe how the practice will affect their customers' service. The Commission encourages ISPs to make investments to increase network capacity as much as possible. However, the Commission realizes that ISPs may need other measures to manage the traffic on their networks at certain times. Technical means to manage traffic, such as traffic shaping, should only be employed as a last resort."

12 of 184 comments (clear)

  1. The Fix is In by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    And the Internet Town Hall Meeting in Halifax NS October 26th apparently can't get any mainstream press interest. Gee, guess there's nothing to see here, move along citizen, etc. Net Neutrality is getting covered there.

    1. Re:The Fix is In by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      no, it just that the same poeple that own the 3 major ISPs in Canada happen to also control TV, radio and newspapers.

  2. Re:As someone living in Canada.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    I am surprised that no coverage on slashdot for this:
    http://dissolvethecrtc.ca/ Details is on the site.

    This is a online petition for Canadian who are dissatisfied with our CRTC. Currently there are 8495 signatures and need another 1505 to go before this petition is submitted to the minster in charge of the CRTC.

    Contrary to the name, this petition is aimed at getting a new CRTC from people that cars about Canadians. It is not about removing it let things go to hell as it is already.

    >The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) was created for the purpose of ensuring broadcasting and telecommunications systems serve the Canadian public and ensure that Canadians have a wide variety of options to create and view works of media or communicate across the country and the entire world.

    >We, the undersigned, believe that the CRTC has become a burden on the Canadian public and are failing to perform their duties in the interest of the Canadian public and that of a fair and unbiased telecom policy.

  3. Well you put it best. by Wrexs0ul · · Score: 3, Informative

    I've been following this and there's really no difference to what telco/cablecos are doing right now. It's all spin factor you see:

    "We're adding* protective measures* to ensure your regular* internet use* remains at high level of quality you've come to expect from Bellusawtron."

    * at at additional $1.99/mo to your bill
    * that prevent legitimate technology use that might be used for criminal/copyright infringrment purposes... like your computer
    * Checking your @Bellusawtron.com email and browsing the telco/cableco news potal
    * Which is 3-4 times per week for less than 30 minutes per session

    Simply put, nothing's changed. Companies are now required to provide the spin letters they've been doing for years. Service is being fundamentally limited, but in a way that a majority of users won't understand relates to the message sent.

    The funny/sad part is the fiber market has both improved and dropped in price tremendously with competition where I'm from, but just you try getting above a 1mbit connection to your home, or even a 1mbit who's QoS doesn't go to crap when you hit 60% usage.

    -Matt

    --
    --- Need web hosting?
  4. Uhm, no by Senjutsu · · Score: 5, Informative

    Did you read the ruling?

    ISPs don't get to throttle at a whim. They can throttle, but if they do, they have to demonstrate to the CRTC that the throttling is as narrow as possible to solve the problem and, importantly, economic measures like tiers, or building capacity would not solve the problem. They're also not allowed to throttle any protocol so hard as to effectively block it, or throttle things like VOIP without advanced, explicit permission for the CRTC.

    That's a big improvement over the status quo at the moment, which has allowed the ISPs to throttle for years with no oversight for any reason they felt like.

    1. Re:Uhm, no by neoform · · Score: 2, Informative
      That's nice, a tiny victory for Net Neutrality.. however the other part of the CRTC's decision gave total control to the big 3 to charge resellers anything they want.

      Right now I have a 24MBit uncapped and unthrottled ASDL2+ connection for $39/month with a Bell reseller (colba.net). Yesterday I got a letter from my ISP telling me that under the new rules set by Bell, I was only really allowed to have 5-10GB a month, but that they would be so kind as to permit me to have 60GB a month at my current monthly rate. Every additional gigabyte would cost $0.75 to a maximum of $30. If I exceeded 300GB in a month I would then be DISCONNECTED until the end of the billing cycle.

      I don't know what asshat at the CRTC though that allowing Bell do charge whatever they want to the resellers would actually promote competition, but he/they should be shot out of a canon into a brick wall. From their site:

      A retail customer is the end user who purchases access to the Internet. The CRTC does not regulate rates, quality of service issues or business practices of Internet service providers as they relate to retail customers. This is because there is enough competition in the market that retail customers can shop around for service packages.

      Thanks to this new ruling, the slim competition that existed will soon disappear; what reason do I have to use a reseller if they charge the same amount as Bell?

      --
      MABASPLOOM!
  5. Re:Amazing.. by agnosticnixie · · Score: 2, Informative

    London, ON to Quebec, QC corridor: roughly 200 people per square mile, half the country's population.

    Most of the population in the West is on the southern border, also in dense zones.

  6. Re:How is warning given? by PFAK · · Score: 2, Informative

    You can forward shaw.ca e-mail addresses to your personal email elsewhere.

    --

    Free means no restrictions, ironic the FSF's GPL forces restrictions, isn't it? What's your definition of free?
  7. Re:Amazing.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    Vancouver CANADA: 5,335 people/sq km
    Machida JAPAN: 5,772 people/sq km

    There are too many to choose from, but city densities are not quite so skewed.

  8. Re:typical by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    Bah, at least Videotron has fast Internet. They're just as big crooks as Bell and Rogers, but they give faster net. It's better than nothing?

  9. Re:As someone living in Canada.. by Dr+Caleb · · Score: 1, Informative

    "It's bull. You can't find any confirming evidence because ... wait for it ... there is none."

    Telus was formed out of a merge between BC Tel and Alberta Government Telephones (AGT). Both Crown corporations that went 'public'.

    Rogers became through CNCP telecommunications, another Crown Corp that used to be part of CN rail and CP rail.

    That's just off the tip of my 'tongue'. Remember kids, just because you can't find it in Google; doesn't mean it didn't happen!

    --
    "History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme." Mark Twain
  10. Re:Shaping vs Crippling by Idiomatick · · Score: 2, Informative

    Here is a partial list: http://azureuswiki.com/index.php/Bad_ISPs

    ISPs that cripple torrents and sometimes how.