| reply to Sempronius
Re: CRTC ruling coming Thursday Nov 20 the full article from CBC. 30 mins to go 
»www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008···rtc.html
Internet watchers are on the edge of their seats as the CRTC is set to make a landmark ruling Thursday on Bell Canada Inc.'s throttling of speeds.
The regulator will hand down its decision at 9 a.m. ET after twice delaying the ruling. The decision will determine whether Bell Canada has violated the Telecommunications Act by slowing down the internet access it sells to wholesale customers.
Those customers, a group of more than 50 small companies represented by the Canadian Association of Internet Providers, lodged a complaint with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission about the practice in April.
Bell began throttling its own Sympatico retail customers in October 2007, and extended the practice in March to CAIP members, which rent portions of Bell's network to provide internet service to their own customers. The CRTC rejected CAIP's call for an immediate cease-and-desist order but launched a public investigation into Bell's actions.
The throttling affects Bell and CAIP customers who use peer-to-peer file-sharing software such as BitTorrent. Bell has said the throttling is necessary because a small percentage of subscribers are using such services to clog up its network. CAIP countered by saying Bell has failed to prove there is congestion on its network, and that the company is throttling peer-to-peer applications because they compete with services it offers, such as an online video store.
While BitTorrent has become synonymous with illegal file-sharing, the application is also increasingly being used for legitimate purposes such as the legal distribution of music and video, such as the CBC show Canada's Next Great Prime Minister, as well as educational tools. Peer-to-peer technology is also behind internet calling services such as Skype, which compete with Bell's core phone business.
A ruling against Bell would likely allow CAIP members to sell unthrottled internet services, thus giving them a competitive advantage over the company and others that slow peer-to-peer applications, such as Rogers Communications Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc.
Bigger throttling probe likely
A decision against CAIP may not necessarily close the door on the throttling issue, however. CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein this summer said a decision on the Bell-CAIP case will be limited to whether the company has violated its wholesale agreements with the smaller providers. A more detailed CRTC probe into whether throttling should be allowed in a general sense will likely follow, he said.
CAIP members on Wednesday were hoping for the best but girding for the worst.
"We're bracing for a worst-case scenario, as Bell has a lot to lose if this doesn't go their way," said Rocky Gaudrault, chief executive of TekSavvy, a CAIP member. "I would suspect, win or lose, something should be done, going forward, to consider Bell's conflict of interest in dealing as a carrier and a retail internet provider. There are some pretty major issues that need attention going forward, so regardless of the upcoming ruling, this might set things in motion to finally force change."
A Bell spokesman did not immediately return a request for comment.
The throttling issue has angered net neutrality advocates, who maintain the internet should be kept free from discriminatory practices by service providers. The CRTC's probe drew submissions from more than 1,000 individuals, as well as large technology companies such as Skype and Google Inc., which accused Bell of acting as an internet "gatekeeper."
About 300 protestors held a rally on Parliament Hill in May to urge government legislation to protect net neutrality principles. Jim Prentice, who was industry minister at the time, said the government was opposed to regulating the internet.
Regulators in the United States have taken decisive action against throttling by service providers. The Federal Communications Commission in August ordered Comcast Corp., the country's largest cable company, to cease its throttling of peer-to-peer applications.
"This practice is not 'minimally intrusive' but invasive and outright discriminatory," the FCC said in its ruling. "Consumers are entitled to run applications and use services of their choice."
In reaction, Comcast said it would introduce a new application-neutral system by the end of the year that will throttle only heavy users.
The United States is also poised to clamp down further on interference by internet service providers under president-elect Barack Obama, a supporter of net neutrality. Obama last week appointed two longtime net neutrality advocates, University of Michigan law professor Susan Crawford and former FCC staffer Kevin Werbach, to conduct a review of the regulator.
"The momentum in the U.S. is very, very strong. The FCC has been showing a strong inclination to move in this direction even without a change in administration," said University of Ottawa internet law professor Michael Geist. "Clearly we're a laggard on this issue. It's nothing new on telecom issues and it's going to become increasingly evident." |
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| reply to zaptor99
Oh wow, almost a month late and here we are, 10 minutes away..... |
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| reply to JGROCKY
said by JGROCKY:said by Guspaz:What I fear is that the changes will be so slow and subtle that people won't notice. You know, like the boiling frog analogy; throw a frog into boiling water and it jumps out, throw a frog into cold water and heat it slowly and it dies from the heat because it doesn't notice the slow increase. True, but there are some around the industry who are going to make sure this front and centre as fast and as long as possible!  They might even make it their new platform! I can see it now, "Bell, now fastER" than last week. XD |
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| reply to zaptor99
So is this going to be the official news thread? |
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| 2 min.... |
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| reply to 45578933
Does anyone know where the story will break? Here, the CBC website, P2PNet? |
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 andybPremium
join:2003-05-29
SW Ontario
kudos:1
1 edit | Crtc site says release at 9am |
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cbp
join:2005-11-24
Montreal, QC | Cannot be 9AM. Govt. jobs start at 9AM. They'll need at least a day to post results up. Maybe more. |
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 bbuchananPremium
join:2004-02-05
Peterborough, ON | reply to ultracat
It *should* first appear on the CRTC's web site |
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| reply to zaptor99
Telecom decision:
2008-108 The Canadian Association of Internet Providers' application regarding Bell Canada's traffic shaping of its wholesale Gateway Access Service
Reference: 8622-C51-200805153
LINK DOES NOT WORK YET. |
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andybPremium
join:2003-05-29
SW Ontario
kudos:1
1 edit | reply to bbuchanan
It's denied to caip
»www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/NEWS/RELEASES···1120.htm |
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| reply to zaptor99
damn... we got screwed! |
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 twizlarI dont think so.Premium
join:2003-12-24
Brantford, ON
kudos:3 | reply to zaptor99
November 20, 2008
CRTC denies CAIP application, but will examine
Internet traffic management practices
OTTAWA-GATINEAU — The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) today announced that it has denied the Canadian Association of Internet Providers’ (CAIP) request that Bell Canada cease the traffic-shaping practices it has adopted for its wholesale Gateway Access Service. However, in the future, Bell Canada will be required to notify its wholesale customers at least 30 days in advance of making changes that impact on the performance of its Gateway Access Service.
“Based on the evidence before us, we found that the measures employed by Bell Canada to manage its network were not discriminatory. Bell Canada applied the same traffic-shaping practices to wholesale customers as it did to its own retail customers,” said Konrad von Finckenstein, Q.C., Chairman of the CRTC.
“CAIP’s application asked us to only consider the specific issue of wholesale traffic shaping within a specific context. The broader issue of Internet traffic management raises a number of questions that affect both end-users and service providers,” added Mr. von Finckenstein. “We have decided to hold a separate proceeding to consider both wholesale and retail issues. Its main purpose will be to address the extent to which Internet service providers can manage the traffic on their networks in accordance with the Telecommunications Act.”
The growing popularity of certain Internet applications, such as online video, can lead to network congestion. To deal with this congestion, some Internet service providers (ISPs) are managing the flow of traffic on their networks or adopting new business models. In the case of the CAIP application, the
Commission’s assessment of traffic shaping was limited to Bell Canada’s practice of slowing down the transfer rates of peer-to-peer traffic at certain times of the day.
Public proceeding
The Commission has launched a proceeding to examine the current and potential traffic management practices of ISPs operating in Canada. This proceeding will include a public hearing starting on July 6, 2009, in Gatineau, Que. The CRTC has invited comments on a number of specific questions. Some of these questions are related to:
* changes in bandwidth consumption that may lead to network congestion
* Internet traffic management practices based on technical solutions or business models that are currently available or may be developed in the future, and
* the impact of such practices on end-users.
In addition, the Commission will try to establish the criteria to be used in the event that specific traffic management practices need to be authorized.
Interested parties may submit their comments by February 16, 2009. They may do so by filling out the online form, by writing to the Secretary General, CRTC, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0N2, or by fax, at 819-994-0218. The Commission also plans to hold an online consultation to allow the public the opportunity to discuss the issues and questions related to the Internet traffic management practices of ISPs.
The CRTC
The CRTC is an independent public authority that regulates and supervises broadcasting and telecommunications in Canada.
Telecom Public Notice CRTC 2008-19 [.pdf]
Telecom Decision CRTC 2008-108 [.pdf]
- 30 -
Media Relations:
MediaRelations, Tel: 819-997-9403, Fax: 819-997-4245
General Inquiries:
Tel: 819-997-0313, TDD: 819-994-0423, Fax: 819-994-0218
Toll-free # 1-877-249-CRTC (2782)
TDD - Toll-free # 1-877-909-CRTC (2782)
On-line services
These documents are available in alternative format upon request.
Date Modified: 2008-11-20
--
Broadline Networks Inc. |
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| reply to zaptor99
»www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/NEWS/RELEASES···1120.htm |
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| Wow |
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| reply to twizlar
I guessed right yeah i knew it. |
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1 edit | reply to zaptor99
Ahhhhh fuck them, fuck them up their stupid asses!
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
Wow, it really shows who our government has at heart...
Dollar, Dollar bills y'all! |
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1 edit | reply to zaptor99
I am truly disgusted.
*takes up pitchfork and lights torch* |
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 kewlkeedGrouchPremium
join:2005-02-05
Knowlton, QC
kudos:1 | reply to zaptor99
What a crock of shit! |
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 mlernerPremium
join:2000-11-25
Nepean, ON
kudos:5 | reply to zaptor99
F### Well I had too much hope that the CRTC has actually changed. I'm too pissed off right now to even write a good reply.. |
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