Supporters of network neutrality have suffered a setback with the CRTC ruling in the case against Bell over Internet throttling.
The communications regulator denied the Canadian Association of Internet Providers’ (CAIP) request that Bell Canada cease the traffic-shaping practices it has adopted for its wholesale services.
However, this is turning out to be just the first round in the battle over network neutrality. The CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein acknowledged that:
The broader issue of Internet traffic management raises a number of questions that affect both end-users and service providers. 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.
As part of this process, the CRTC is holding a public hearing next year to look at how service providers manage traffic on their networks. As Michael Geist notes about today’s CRTC ruling:
The decision is not a total loss for net neutrality supporters as the Commission made a clear commitment to addressing the issue of net neutrality and network management in a formal proceeding in July 2009. Indeed, it is important not to lose sight of how much has changed in the past year.
The question of network neutrality could become one of the big technology issues of 2009. In the US, president-elect Barack Obama has expressed his support for the idea of the net as a neutral platform.
In Canada, the SaveOurNet coalition has already launched a campaign to lobby the CRTC over its decision.
(Via Newslab.ca)
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