NDP MP Charlie Angus issued a statement last week that says the Conservatives have ignored recommendations on net neutrality. The statement was issued in response to Industry Minister Prentice’s comments on April 2 in the House where he refused to wade in with government interference on the CAIP / Bell competitive dispute.
Angus’ statement says
Prentice should accept the recommendations of the Telecommunications Review Panel that laid out a practical guide for CRTC involvement on maintaining fair and open access of the internet. The panel stated: “open access is of such overriding importance that its protection justifies giving the regulator the power to review cases involving blocking access to applications and content and significant, deliberate degradation of service.”
Unlike many on the left who misquote the Telecom Policy Review Panel recommendation, I will credit Angus with recognizing that the TPRP acknowledged the technical, efficiency and legal constraints that may be used to impede internet traffic flow.
He cites the entirety of recommendation 6-5 in his letter. Many other observers of the TPRP consistently neglect to quote the full text, so kudos to him for that part of his letter. However, Angus falls into the same trap as most who are not familiar with the entire report.
The reality is that the CRTC already has all of the tools it needs to discipline bad behaviour in internet traffic management. The TPRP created its tight recommendation on internet traffic (6-5), because it felt that the existing anti-competitive provisions (Section 27(2)) are “much too general and rely too greatly on the regulator’s discretion.” So recommendation 3-13 was to replace 27(2) with tighter, more specific measures.
We wouldn’t want ministerial interference in a court proceeding. Why are we looking for the Minister to intervene in a regulatory complaint?
The net neutrality panel at The 2008 Canadian Telecom Summit will be taking place on June 18. Have you registered yet?