Accessible regulation

CRTC processes are not easy to follow. Navigating the CRTC website can be complex, even for those of us who have spent the past 2 decades following Canada’s regulator. The terminology can be complex. We consultants can be grateful for that. It can be helpful for our job security!

But, it can lead to frustration for many people who are trying to get a crash course in Canadian communications regulatory processes, thanks to the debate over usage sensitive internet pricing.

On Saturday evening, a Twitter discussion persisted to erupt over my use of the CRTC Monitoring Report’s estimate that there are 500 entities providing internet access in Canada (see page 137 of the CMR – [pdf, 7.1MB]). I cited the number in my March OpEd: Don’t Regulate My Internet. My correspondent could not accept that there are more than 500 ISPs operating in Canada. Apparently, as far as he knows, where he is living there are just 2. Another of my tweeps claims that her sister just outside of Ottawa can only access her cable company for internet – she is beyond the reach of the telco. I was challenged to produce a list of the 500. As regular readers know, no such list exists. I identified that challenge last December when the CRTC decided to bring all ISPs under the purview of the CCTS.

Not easy to explain in 140 character snippets.

I don’t think we should expect detailed telecommunications regulatory issues to be easy for beginners to understand; we certainly don’t expect everyone to understand navigating the income tax regulations. However, despite recent rework, our government websites are just not as accessible as they could be, in part because of silly Common Look and Feel regulations from the Treasury Board. [These regulations even cover domain names, making it forbidden for Environment Canada to promote the easily remembered “Weatheroffice.com” domain that it owns, in favour of “weatheroffice.gc.ca“.]

The CRTC has been trying to be more accessible for some of its higher profile public consultations. Look at the beta for the FCC’s new website south of the border. Does it improve access for citizen engagement?