On Tuesday May 27, 2008 between 11:30 am and 1:30 pm, the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic at the University of Ottawa, and other prominent supporters such as Michael Geist, will be sponsoring a Net Neutrality Rally on Canada’s Parliament Hill.
The net neutrality rally is intended to foster greater Internet competition, innovation and consumer rights:
1. Competition:
- To stop vertical market leveraging at the expense of new entrants
- To prevent incumbent cable/telco duopoly control of the Internet
(see, for example Geist’s Bell’s Throttling Plan a Threat to a Competitive Net)
2. Innovation:
- To promote an environment conducive to the development of new and innovative content and web services by Canadian entrepreneurs
3. Consumer Rights:
- to promote ISP transparency
- to promote consumer privacy
- to demand that ISPs provide the advertised Internet quality of service that consumers pay for
If you live or work in the Ottawa/Hull area, please consider participating.
Here’s Amber MacArthur’s April 2, 2008 “Net Neutrality in Canada” Video Update:
Below is the complete exchange (partially included in Amber’s piece above) on ‘net neutrality between MP Charlie Angus and Canada’s Minister of Industry Jim Prentice during Parliament’s Question Period on April 2, 2008. The conservative government has chosen to punt the issue despite significant known net throttling, deep packet inspection, traffic shaping and seemingly arbitrary bandwidth/usage capping by Canadian ISPs.
Here is a terrific primer on net neutrality called Humanity Lobotomy. It’s good despite being is a bit too conspiracy-theory, granola-eating, tree-hugging, bra-burning, Birkenstockish for my tastes.
For more information see:
- Michael Geist’s net neutrality articles
- cbcnews: Net Neutrality: FAQ
- Neutrality.ca
- John C. Dvorak – What is Net Neutrality, Anyway?
- my net neutrality topic on my iMedia law blog
- Prof Ed Felten’s ‘Nuts and Bolts of Net Neutrality‘
