I am writing to express my support for the Application that CAIP has filed with the CRTC regarding Bell Canada’s throttling practices.

Recently, I sought to replace Bell Sympatico as my DSL provider when Bell's throttle interfered with my legitimate and legal use of my internet connection during the period that I am actually interested in using my "unlimited high speed internet" - the evenings, when I am at home.

After I had selected a replacement, an independent DSL provider, and after I had ordered a modem for use with their service, I discovered that Bell had started to throttle traffic on my choice of replacement ISP. As a result, my incentive to switch ISPs was greatly reduced, and I remain (for the time being) with Bell Sympatico.

However, I am deeply concerned by Bell Canada’s throttling practices, and their impact on the competitive supply of high speed residential internet in Canada.

I understand Bell's position to be that the throttle was implemented to manage increasing network traffic. Leaving aside the question over whether throttling, as opposed to increasing capacity, is a desirable response to capacity problems, Bell's throttling practices smell of a strategic effort to degrade the competitors' service in order to prevent the independent ISPs from offering a better product than that of Sympatico, rather than a legitimate attempt to manage the network.

For example, Bell's throttle turns on at a fixed time, turns off at a fixed time, and caps speeds at a fixed rate. Between 4 p.m. and 2 a.m., my downloads are capped at 30 kb/s. This throttle does not vary with actual conditions: if Bell had actually intended its throttle to perform some equitable redistribution of scarce bandwidth, it would dynamically react to the load on the network, allowing greater speeds when resources were available and lesser speeds when resources were tight.

Sympatico advertises itself as "consistently fast" internet. Bell is half right: Sympatico is consistent. But when I, and others like me, seek to hold Bell to the balance of its promise, or find another provider who does offer "consistently fast" internet, we find that Bell has found a way to bring its competitors down to its level.

I implore the CRTC to intervene and enjoin Bell from throttling third party ISPs. Even if Bell is allowed to peer deep into its own user's packets and hold up those it deems unworthy of "consistently fast" service, it should not be permitted to tamper with other ISP's efforts to provide Canadians with the consistently fast internet services that Canadian consumers want and need.

Yours very truly,

[signed]