For some time, I have been writing [for example, here] about the need to create a national digital strategy, a view that is being expressed by others.

For example, during the New Media hearings, Tom Perlmutter of the National Film Board spoke of the need for a national digital strategy:

We need to ensure that the infrastructure meets the needs of today and tomorrow, which means advanced digital networks, broadband and wireless. We need to cross digital divides between the digital haves and have-nots. We need to ensure broad-based digital literacy. We need rich Canadian content that is both multi-platform and cross-platform, and unique creations for specific platforms. We need training for new modes of production. We need to evolve our business and financing models. We need to figure out how to create international digital co-production partnerships. We need to work at building strong digital brands that will capture the imagination of our audiences. Most of all, we need a vision.

CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein said that he sympathized and agreed with this call for a national vision during those hearings. He demonstrated his support during last week’s appearance before the House Committee on Canadian Heritage [streaming media, 150Kbps], recommending that the Committee listen to Mr. Perlmutter’s call for the development of a national digital strategy.

I have not seen this comment picked up in the media or on other blogs – did the Committee hear the call? Will momentum build for a new national task force or royal commission?

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national digital strategy, CRTC

The 2009 Canadian Telecom Summit opens in 11 weeks – June 15-17 – just two and a half months from now.

Support from our sponsors has been encouraging. Virtually every carrier in Canada will be participating – incumbents, new entrants, wireless and wireline. We’re also welcoming a number of companies and speakers who are participating for the first time.

Keynote speakers will once again include the people who are having the greatest influence on the Canadian telecom scene, from our opening address from Rogers’ chief Nadir Mohamed, through RIM co-founder Mike Lazaridis.

There are numerous policy issues that will be canvassed in a variety of sessions including our annual feature: the Regulatory Blockbuster on Tuesday June 16.

This year’s event will close with a panel discussion featuring the leaders of Globalive Wireless, Public Mobile and DAVE Wireless and moderated by Simon Avery of the Globe and Mail.

Visit the conference website or download the brochure [ pdf, 433 KB] for more information.

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Canadian Telecom Summit

Another coalition of competitive ISPs has written [pdf, 266KB] to the CRTC to block interim approval of a Bell / Bell Aliant proposal [Tariff Notice 7181, zip, 148 KB]to implement usage based billing on wholesale internet access services.

This closely follows a coalition filing that we described on Tuesday.

Today’s filing comes from a broader group of 8 ISPs plus CAIP: Accelerated Communications, AOL Canada, Cybersurf, Execulink Telecom, EGATE Networks, MNSi, Telnet Communications, Yak.

The coalition says Bell’s filings anti-competitive, are not accompanied by proper cost studies and may be based on erroneous data:

In one case Bell has provided data indicating a residential end user consumed 1 TB (terabyte) of data over 20 hours of use.

I think that would imply better than 100Mbps sustained for 20 hours – not bad for a DSL service!

Two preliminary observations.

Are we beginning to see a more united ISP industry coalescing that provide better quality regulatory participation than we have typically seen in the past?

Can usage based billing at a wholesale level be accompanied by removal of the application of traffic shaping from these lines?

I had a call yesterday with Ian Collins of Cogeco Data Services as part of the company coming out with their new brand image.

Cogeco Data Services is the brand established after last summer’s acquisition of Toronto Hydro Telecom.

The company is in the process of doubling its route kilometers of fibre as it implements a 10-year, $40M contract with the Toronto District School Board that was announced in December [news release pdf, 60KB]. The project, being implemented over a 30-month transition period, will deliver fibre connectivity to 600 sites.

With the school board as an anchor customer, Cogeco Data Services is significantly expanding the reach of its access network, offering a facilities-based alternative for high speed data services.

How do we ensure that policies encourage investment in fibre and expansion of these kinds of competitive options?

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Cogeco Data Services

Network World reports that some people in the US are arguing that any economic stimulus funding for broadband service expansion should be tied to strong net neutrality commitments.

the stimulus legislation says that any networks built with the funds must adhere to the “nondiscrimination and network interconnection obligations” that the Federal Communications Commission first outlined in 2005. These principles state that networks must allow users to access any lawful Internet content of their choice, to run any legal Web applications of their choice, and to connect to the network using any device that does not harm the network. Additionally, the principles state that consumers are “entitled to competition among network providers, application and service providers and content providers.”

However, some net neutrality advocates argued during the debate Monday that these principles are not written strongly enough to specifically bar networks from slowing down competitors’ content in favor of their own.

We have two relevant sessions at The 2009 Canadian Telecom Summit in June. On June 15, we have a panel looking at building broadband networks – what issues are there for universal service. The panel includes Ian Collins (Cogeco Data Services), Mike Dixon (Motorola), John Maduri (Barrett Xplore), Derek Slater (Google) and Robert Watson (SaskTel). On June 16, we are taking an in depth look at the Net Neutrality debate in Canada, with Mike Lee (Rogers), Chris Libertelli (Skype) and Dave Caputo (Sandvine).

Have you registered yet to attend Canada’s leading telecom industry event?

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net neutrality, broadband, Canadian Telecom Summit