Take Action: Say NO to Corporate Control
Open Letter to CRTC Chair Konrad von Finckenstein:
Dear Sir,
Canadians rely on the CRTC, as the federal communications regulator, to act in the public interest, which in this case means ensuring we have an open and neutral Internet.
Due to the limited number of connectivity options, the providers of internet service share an effective monopoly on public access to a global resource (which includes a large amount of publicly funded physical and conceptual infrastructure). This affords those few connectivity providers with the opportunity of hijacking a general public good and diverting its value to their own interests (for example by engaging in media production and sales as well as transmission and then favouring their own content by “throttling” the transmissions of their competitors). Such behaviour is unacceptable and it is your responsibility to ensure that it does not happen.
Corporations like Bell and Rogers must not be allowed to control our access to the Web or degrade the quality of service we receive from our internet service providers.
I therefore submit that the CRTC should order Bell to stop its Internet traffic-shaping practices.
Please protect Canada’s level playing field for free speech and innovation by ordering Bell to cease and desist its “throttling” practices, and be sure to take similar action against any other service provider or other entity which threatens the right of Canadians for equal access to all parts of the internet.