CRTC Public Consultation on Internet Traffic Management in Canada

This past month, the CRTC, Canada’s telecommunications regulating body, launched an online consultation on internet traffic management practices and invited Canadians to share their opinions on the matter. These traffic management practices, also known as traffic shaping, describe the mechanisms put in place by certain internet service providers (eg, Bell, Rogers, and Telus) to control internet traffic across their network. Though rarely making newspaper headlines, this is a hotly debated issue that is central to the ongoing battle over Net Neutrality.

Proponents of traffic shaping claim that such intervention is necessary for the proper maintenance of networks and to ensure that certain online activities (eg, voip telephony and peer-to-peer file sharing), aren’t using up network resources. Meanwhile, critics claim that these practices violate the principals of network neutrality - principals that that have made the internet into the site of innovation that it is today.

Network Neutrality is based on the premise that Internet Service Providers are not allowed to exert control over the information that flows across its network. This means an ISP can't arbitrarily block access to website, as Telus did in July of 2005, and they cannot slow down traffic to a particular website or online service, such as Bell's throttling of peer-to-peer bandwidth which slows down access to services like Skype and BitTorrent. Simply put, anyone who logs on the internet should be given equal access to any website or service, regardless of how the ISP's feels about it.

Working at Raincity Studios, I’m keenly aware of the fact that my job and this industry might have not existed if not for the principals of network neutrality. Drupal, the open source cms developed by a community of individuals around the world who are committed to openness, is excellent example of the innovation that is made possible by the internet. While ISPs want to influence how the internet is used, it’s been the fact that our use is unrestricted that has given people the freedom to dream up new ideas and put them into action. There’s no way Tim Berners-Lee could have predicted the astounding range of applications that use the internet today, but in designing the network to be open, he allowed anyone to be a potential source of innovation. It for this reason that I’m personally a proponent for net neutrality. Without these protections, we wouldn’t have, as Lawrence Lessig has described, the “innovation commons” that we do today.

But there’s no guarantee that that this commons will remain unless we’re willing to protect it. Please don't just take my opinion for it, do your research and come to your own decision. There's lots of information out there so you can start by just googling “net neutrality” - you can even find 5 ways to Test if you ISP Throttles your bandwidth. Here are some links to bring you started:

CBC's Net Neutrality Frequently Asked Questions
A informative post by Michael Geist - his whole website is good
Netutrality.ca - A Pro Net Neutrality resource
What is Net Neutrality - A research project by CRACIN
Save our Net - A coalition of citizens, businesses and public interest groups
Canadians for Net Neutrality Facebook Group

And you can do more! Figure out how to get in touch with your local MP (here) and write them a letter, send them an email, or give them a call - anything you can do to let you know your concerned about what's going on.

And of course, participate in the public forum. The CRTC’s online consultation will be open until April 30th, 2009. After the forum closes, a full transcript of the discussion threads will be placed on the public record of the hearing that starts on July 6th 2009. While it’s hard to determine how the CRTC will actually use feedback collected in the forum, at a minimum your participation will encourage future engagement with the public in this manner.