Net not neutral: CRTC ruling

Net neutrality: 0, Bell: 1

Bell Canada has won the right to
continue the practice called “Internet throttling” in a ruling from the
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.

The
commission said in a press release “it has denied the Canadian
Association of Internet Providers’ (CAIP) request that Bell Canada
cease the traffic-shaping practices it has adopted for its wholesale
Gateway Access Service.”

What will be the shape of this practice on journalism — mainstream, citizen and other — on the Internet?

This
would be a good time for those who care — that is, those Canadians who
are awake to media issues —  to get ready to speak up, because the
CRTC said it plans “a proceeding to examine the current and potential
traffic management practices of ISPs operating in Canada” including a
public hearing July 6 next year.

The CRTC invites comments on a number of specific questions; it notes that some of these questions are related to:

• — changes in bandwidth consumption that may lead to network congestion
• —
  Internet traffic management practices based on technical solutions or
  business models that are currently available or may be developed in the
  future, and
• the impact of such practices on end-users.
• —
  In addition, the Commission will try to establish the criteria to be
  used in the event that specific traffic management practices need to be
  authorized.

The CRTC release is here.