Today the SaveOurNet coalition sent a letter to Conservative Industry Minister Tony Clement asking whether he will take practical steps to enforce Net Neutrality (Internet openness). The coalition has also asked the other major national parties to articulate their position on the issue.

This letter is a follow-up to the campaign launched by the Coalition in December, which called on citizens to ask Clement whether he would preserve Canada's open Internet by mandating regular compliance audits of ISP traffic management practices. Clement's response to the campaign (below) did not address concerns of the Coalition nor of the Canadians from across the country that sent him letter.

While not satisfactory, responses to the initial campaign from the NDP and Liberal Party of Canada have made clear their support for Net Neutrality.

Should Tony Clement fail to respond another time to SaveOurNet’s message in a meaningful way, he will demonstrate to the Coalition and to the citizens of Canada that he has little interest in protecting open access to the Internet.

SaveOurNet.ca Co-Founder, Steve Anderson said today, "We're giving Tony Clement a second chance to tell Canadians where he stands on Internet openness. This is an issue where Canadian Internet users, businesses, innovators, and civil society are on one side and a few big telecom companies are on the other. We need to know which side Clement is on."

-30-

Contact
Lindsey Pinto
Communications Manager, OpenMedia
778-238-7710
lindsey@openmedia.ca

About the SaveOurNet Coalition
SaveOurNet is a coalition of citizens, businesses, and public interest groups fighting to protect our Internet's level playing field.

The SaveOurNet Coalition is coordinated by OpenMedia.ca.

 

Thank you for your email providing your views on the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) decision on Internet traffic management practices (ITMPs).

As you are aware, on October 21, 2009, the CRTC issued Telecom Regulatory Policy 2009-657, which establishes a framework for analysis that guides Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in their use of ITMPs. The framework allows the Commission to determine whether or not specific ITMPs are in compliance with subsection 27(2) of the Telecommunications Act, which prohibits unjust discrimination and undue preference.

The CRTC, of its own motion or upon the receipt of a credible complaint, can review ITMPs using the established framework. This manner of proceeding is frequently referred to as an ex post (i.e., complaints-based) regulatory approach. The burden of establishing that an ITMP discriminates or results in a preference or disadvantage is on the complainant. However, ISPs must demonstrate that any such discrimination, preference, or disadvantage is not unjust, undue, or unreasonable in their response to complaints, and explain why their ITMPs meet the requirements of the framework. Information on how to file a complaint with the CRTC can be found on its website at http://www.crtc.gc.ca/rapidsccm/register.asp?lang=e.

Access to the Internet is a key issue for Canadians. Industry Canada continues to monitor domestic and international developments to ensure that our legislative and regulatory frameworks remain effective.

Once again, thank you for taking the time to write. I trust that you will find this information helpful.

Yours sincerely,
Tony Clement