Canadian Broadband → NDP on UBB

TIMMINS – Free and open access to the internet in Canada is under threat, according to New Democrat Digital Affairs Critic Charlie Angus. Angus, the MP for Timmins-James Bay, said the CRTC’s decision to allow usage-based Internet billing won’t just affect the so-called “bandwidth hogs” but also unfairly hit Canadian consumers in the pocket book.

Read more: »www.ndp.ca/press/canadia ··· BbJAjnuv

I'll post a link for the online feed for Saturday when Sid (PCMuseum where event is held) puts it up

EDIT: Link for online feed for Saturday 5 to 6 pm
»www.pcmuseum.ca/netneutr ··· lity.asp

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+1 to Angus !

(It's short and sweet, so I quoted it.)

He/they seem to have covered the most important points against UBB.

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Canadians Lose Out with Internet Metered Billing [UBB]
New Democrats call for tighter net neutrality rules
Thu 20 Jan 2011

TIMMINS – Free and open access to the internet in Canada is under threat, according to New Democrat Digital Affairs Critic Charlie Angus. Angus, the MP for Timmins-James Bay, said the CRTC’s decision to allow Usage-Based Internet Billing [UBB] won’t just affect the so-called “bandwidth hogs” but also unfairly hit Canadian consumers in the pocket book.

“We’ve seen this all before with cell phones,” said Angus. “Allowing the Internet Service Providers to ding you every time you download is a rip-off. Canada is already falling behind other countries in terms of choice, accessibility and pricing for the Internet.”

The larger Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are also broadcasters and content providers. According to Angus, usage-based billing [UBB] could be used to limit competition from online viewing sources like Netflix. It could also snuff out competition from smaller third-party ISPs.

“The large ISP-broadcast entities now have a tool for squashing their main competitors – both in internet and video services,” said Angus. “We need clear rules that put consumers first.”

Angus is holding an online forum on net neutrality issues in Brant on Saturday with New Democrat candidate Marc Laferriere.

Finally a stance on UBB from one of the big-3 parties.

Now to go back to playing hungry hungry hippos until Phony Tony decides it's time to finally grace us with his opinion on UBB.

Too bad the NDP is batshit insane in pretty much anything else. But they've got a point here. Too bad they'd try to use big government to fix it instead of less government restrictions on competition.

This is good but it needs mainstream media airplay. The public won't see much of it stuck there. Oh, and btw, he needs to lose that term "bandwidth hog" too... it messes up the signal.

I'm pleased to see them step up on this but the NDP has no real clout or power on Parliament Hill. The Conservatives and Liberals don't have to pay any attention to this unless a lot of constituents start to speak up and well, this is Canada so we know how that's going to go. Still, good to have someone speaking up for it.

That's a cop out if I've ever heard one (to both the fight against UBB and your democratic privileges)

If the issue generates enough of a following, and threatens to drain votes away from either the Libs or Cons they'll adopt a position on UBB, they're both in a minority position so they don't have the luxury of ignoring a vote draining issue.

It's not just about vote draining, NDP does have quite a say during budget voting with both Tories and Liberals nearly tied at about 30% each. Last time, NPD's decision on whether to approve Harper's budget or not would result in either the government continuing as is, or end up in a no confidence vote. That's a pretty good situation to demand a few changes here and there.

Great news, looks like we are starting to make enough noise to get noticed. Now everyone write your MP again (of if you haven't yet, what's stopping you?) and tell them you'd like to know their stance on the matter now that the NDP has made an official one (if your MP isn't NDP of course).

I'm writing my MP now and he happens to have some round tables coming up so I'm thinking of attending those as well.

To find your MP:
»www2.parl.gc.ca/parlinfo ··· menu=hoc

This is also on the CBC website. Getting a lot of comments, too. Shame it got buried in the Science and Technology section rather than Consumer Life, though. Might have reached a broader audience that way.

»www.cbc.ca/technology/st ··· ndp.html

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Good, Good.

The saga is spreading.

The final 2 paragraphs of the CBC version are starting to bring other Incumbents and Indies into the story, by name.

Thanks Ssseth,
I had also sent an email to my MP. Thanks for the link
To find your MP:
»www2.parl.gc.ca/parlinfo ··· menu=hoc

I love how people hate on the NDP, yet they're the only party that watches out for regular people.

It's like telling your daughter not to date a boy and she does it just to spite you.

Im not too impressed with Angus's track record, wasn't he the guy that wanted to bring in a $75 tax on mp3 players last year?

Ya, here is the news story.

»arstechnica.com/tech-pol ··· aign=rss

Its hard to tell if he really means what he says or if his party leaders told him to try and line up support for the potential upcoming election.

Yes, he is. And it was $5-$75, not a flat $75 on everything. But really, a politician can't just side up with the people only. Companies and special groups do have power, and politicians need that power if they want anything done. I never saw anything wrong with the MP3 players/Ipod tax (other than the max fee on the higher end MP3 players/Ipods...) since blank CDs and DVDs already have that tax anyway. Plus Angus was a supporter of a free and open Internet for a while now, before that whole mp3 thing.

And besides, regardless on whether he will try to personally do something or not, just talking about it is already giving it a lot of much needed attention.

Good to see somebody stand up against it. No way in hell i'll ever vote NDP in my lifetime (well, never say never, i'd vote for them before I ever voted Liberal) but it's a small step regardless.

Indeed, that was a stupid proposal.

Given the NDP's past track record in Ontario and current policies can not support a party that discriminates on ethnicity and gender in the name of bringing statistical equality.

Spit my coffee... LOL

Would rather support NDP than Cons or Liberals. Conservatives drive household costs sky high while promising the little people of Canada untold riches with tax cuts - yet delivering none. They also allow things like UBB to happen because they overlook regulatory capture.

Businesses don't vote. People do. There are more people than there are people who own businesses. So it stands to reason that whatever you personally feel is important, it doesn't matter when it comes to social priorities.

Businesses come second, people come first. Those are the values our country and all of us here benefit from.

Geist cover it today »www.michaelgeist.ca/cont ··· 591/125/

The only things he adds, which we all know, is that the CRTC supports the big telco's in treating us like cash cows.

That's good maybe that will end up in the column in the Toronto Star next week. Good exposure.

The NDP does seem like a natural fit for the issue, especially if they can run with the idea that people who try to make do with less are hit with the most punitive fees. While they don't seem to have much chance of forming a government any time soon, they are on people's radar as a third party choice more than anyone else who runs candidates nationwide.

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If the NDP chose to support our objection to UBB, it would soitainly get us some good traction and media coverage.

Nothing wrong with that.