Legal Commentary

CRTC network management - aka net neutrality - hearings underway

By David Canton

The CRTC’s network managemement hearings began yesterday.  A CBC article summarizes the scope of the hearing as:

“The CRTC is trying to develop guidelines for internet service providers on acceptable ways of managing internet traffic and congestion, taking into account both the freedom individuals to use the internet as they wish and the interests of ISPs to manage their networks.

The commission is focusing mainly on the questions:

• What internet traffic management practices are acceptable and should any be considered as completely unacceptable?
• Should ISPs disclose their practices and, if so, in what form?
• Does the use of internet technologies for the purpose of internet traffic management raise privacy concerns?
• Is the application of certain internet traffic management practices to wholesale services appropriate?
• Is there a need for the commission to specify what practices are acceptable in relation to wireless service providers?
• What analytical framework should the CRTC adopt in relation to internet traffic management practices and section 36 of the Telecommunications Act?

It will avoid dealing with its November decision to allow Bell to continue to continue throttling the customers of smaller ISPs that buy network access from it, as the decision is under appeal.”

For ongoing analysis, follow Michael Geist, who summarizes the first day’s hearing here.   If you want to follow this as it unfolds, Michael’s article has links to a liveblog and twitter feed.

For earlier information on this subject, search “crtc” and “network neutrality” on my blog.

Full post as published by eLegal Canton on July 07, 2009 (boomark / email).