I am sure it is just my own warped sense of humour that gave me a smile when a number of parties asked the CRTC to delay one of the deadlines in its Internet Traffic Management Proceeding (PN 2008-19).
Indeed, the applications for what might be termed “applying regulatory traffic management” to the delivery of documents seemed to come precisely from those groups that are most likely to oppose the rights of internet service providers to manage their networks.
The CRTC had applications from the Consumers Groups, CIPPIC, CAIP and the Canadian Film & Television Production Association (CFTPA) who asked for delays for a variety of reasons. Among the reasons cited were difficulties in persuading administrative staff to assist on Monday, Ontario’s new Family Day holiday as well as the conflict with a CFTPA conference. In other words, these groups were prioritizing commitments and managing their workload within constrained human resource bandwidth.
the Consumer Groups submit that no party would be prejudiced by this minor adjustment to timing.
Isn’t that similar to one of the justifications for traffic management of file downloads?
Of course there are differences – but admit it, there is a certain irony in these applications, isn’ there?
In any case,the CRTC approved the extensions. Comments are due February 23.
Prior reading before submitting comments: the CRTC released a report that it commissioned entitled ISP Traffic Management Technologies: The State of the Art.
The purpose of this report is to review the state of the art in traffic management, looking in particular at current and emerging techniques and their potential for improving the ability of ISPs to manage Internet traffic.
The report canvasses the world of internet network management and importantly found that the majority of service providers do not believe that over-provisioning (the solution recommended most by those who oppose active network management) is an adequate long-term solution on its own.
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