Net Neutrality

Many of you have likely heard this term on the news or read about it somewhere online. There are many websites discussing Net Neutrality and what it means to internet users. Generally, Net Neutrality pushes for an “open” network with no discrimination. The leading advocate is savetheinternet.com and I urge you to visit this site and read their frequently asked questions section to find out more.

Now, this website advocates Net Neutrality in the United States, but Shift+Backspace is based in Canada. Well, the leading Canadian advocate, neutrality.ca, was recently shut down. I had visited this site many times and it provided many Canadian-focused details on Net Neutrality and how to fight for it. It is a tremendous shame that neutrality.ca has been shut down, but other Canadian technology sites have taken notice and are trying to get the word out. First and foremost, Amber MacArthur, a well-known Canadian-born technology expert, has posted a fantastic article on her website about the shutdown of neutrality.ca.

Dr. Michael Geist, a Canadian expert on technology and the law, recently wrote an article titled “The Canadian Net Neutrality Debate“. If you live in Canada and have an internet connection with a large service provider you should read Dr. Geist’s article.

Dr. Geist mentions large Canadian telcos such as Telus, Rogers, VideoTron and Bell Canada and their involvement in Net Neutrality and belief that because they deliver the content they should be the gatekeepers of the content. It is unfortunate to say that I have been a co-op student for Bell Canada twice and worked solely with the Sympatico ISP. I had always enjoyed my time with Sympatico and had hoped to return in the future but as long as Bell is involved in censoring and prioritizing internet traffic I will refuse to work there. I recall the time when Rogers began regulating bit torrent traffic and how many users were switching to Bell because they wanted network access with no discrimination. It looks like members of Bell and the Sympatico team did not notice this trend and have decided to follow suit.

Thanks for reading,

Cole