Neutral Internet vital to innovation
Joshua Brown
Issue date: 11/17/09 Section: Technology
HALIFAX (CUP) - It is absolutely critical that Canadians get behind open and neutral networks that don't place restrictions on content, access or speed, according to Terry Dalton, Chair of the Atlantic Canada Organization of Research Networks in Nova Scotia.
"We were seeing more and more influences on some of the Internet service providers in directing traffic, limiting traffic," said Dalton, who spoke at Dalhousie University in Halifax on Oct. 26. "Large advertisers come in and have an agreement so you would see more of their advertising."
Dalton was part of a panel discussion that focused on a recent Canadian Radio and Television Commission (CRTC) ruling. On Oct. 21 the CRTC set new rules for how Canadians can use the Internet, and how the Internet companies can use users.
Internet activities such as peer-to-peer file sharing and streaming video suck up a lot more bandwidth than e-mail or browsing the Internet.
Internet service providers say they need to be allowed to throttle service in some cases to prevent a small minority of heavy users from clogging up their networks, and slowing service for other Internet users.
Media companies, who have seen a loss of revenue due to illegal downloading, backed up the Internet service providers, like Bell and Rogers, at the CRTC hearings.
In the ruling, the CRTC gave Canada's telecoms a green light to slow access to the Internet for bandwidth hogs, but laid down specific guidelines for doing so. New rules were created affecting the way Internet service providers use the information that travels over their networks.
The commission specified standards of reasonable traffic management and banned the use of personal information, except when for traffic management purposes.
Service providers now have to describe their traffic managing practices and justify them any time a consumer complains.
"[The CRTC] ruling is going to stimulate further future discussion amongst politicians and amongst some of the open access groups who want to see a broader level of net neutrality," said Dalton.
"We were seeing more and more influences on some of the Internet service providers in directing traffic, limiting traffic," said Dalton, who spoke at Dalhousie University in Halifax on Oct. 26. "Large advertisers come in and have an agreement so you would see more of their advertising."
Dalton was part of a panel discussion that focused on a recent Canadian Radio and Television Commission (CRTC) ruling. On Oct. 21 the CRTC set new rules for how Canadians can use the Internet, and how the Internet companies can use users.
Internet activities such as peer-to-peer file sharing and streaming video suck up a lot more bandwidth than e-mail or browsing the Internet.
Internet service providers say they need to be allowed to throttle service in some cases to prevent a small minority of heavy users from clogging up their networks, and slowing service for other Internet users.
Media companies, who have seen a loss of revenue due to illegal downloading, backed up the Internet service providers, like Bell and Rogers, at the CRTC hearings.
In the ruling, the CRTC gave Canada's telecoms a green light to slow access to the Internet for bandwidth hogs, but laid down specific guidelines for doing so. New rules were created affecting the way Internet service providers use the information that travels over their networks.
The commission specified standards of reasonable traffic management and banned the use of personal information, except when for traffic management purposes.
Service providers now have to describe their traffic managing practices and justify them any time a consumer complains.
"[The CRTC] ruling is going to stimulate further future discussion amongst politicians and amongst some of the open access groups who want to see a broader level of net neutrality," said Dalton.
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