A reliance on market forces will continue to figure prominently in Canada’s digital policy, if the government follows the direction given to it by Conservative Party of Canada members. Michael Geist observed that the Conservatives passed a broadband policy statement at their recent Ottawa convention:
The Conservative Party recognizes the vital importance of internet connectivity to full Canadian participation in global economic, social, and cultural communities. The government should create an environment that encourages private sector investment to increase broadband infrastructure, especially in rural and remote areas of Canada.
It is worth looking at resolutions that the party did not approve. Resolution C-063 contained a number of provisions that failed to get to the plenary floor:
We believe in the need for a strong Internet link to Canada together in the 21st Century, as railroads did in the 19th Century and aviation did in the 20th. Canada must claim a leading position in an increasingly networked world.
The Conservative Party will:
- Support internet broadband initiatives, to bring universal access to all Canadians, especially in rural and Northern communities
- Support an open and accessible internet with appropriate safeguards and enforcement mechanisms against illegal activities
- Support network neutrality, giving each user a fair share of bandwidth to use in communicating with any other user with any protocol.
- We support an innovative and competitive market place while promoting private sector infrastructure investment.
- We support initiatives promoting telepresence and telecommuting to overcome geographical barriers.
There was also a resolution supporting the alternate ISP and telecom service providers that didn’t make it past the first gate. Resolution C-065 tried to frame continued regulated access to infrastructure by alternate providers in terms of emergency responsiveness and affordability:
The CPC affirms the importance of telecommunications to Canadians, supports the growth of telecom services, and supports a competitive environment that makes those services affordable and innovative. Regulation must continue to enforce high levels of emergency response, ensure reasonable pricing for basic phone services, and enforce competitive access to all telecommunications infrastructure that is not economically replaceable.
The convention floor chose to continue to have market forces shape Canada’s telecommunications industry development, with the government fostering an climate that encourages investment by the private sector. It is just as interesting to see what policies were not acceptable.