This Tyee article is about the low profile of the ‘Net Neutrality’ debate in Canada. Author Bryan Zandberg is right that this is something we should not be ignoring.
The telecoms and cable providers are monopolies, and not only do they demand non-competition within the technologies of which they have been given control, but they also kick and scream when anyone suggests providing an alternative like a public free wireless network.
But it’s not just the carriers who are the source of the problem. Even with multiple competing carriers, there would still be pressure from big media firms to lock out smaller information sources and they will not hesitate to withhold their content from channels that do not help reinforce their control of the information market.
Capitalism has a natural tendency to follow the biblical injunction “Unto him that hath shall be given and from him that hath not shall be taken away – even that which he hath”. This is not necessarily what we want in many areas – but most especially in that of media and information control.