Ottawa to reverse CRTC Internet billing decision

[Ohio Joe]

Source: TheStar.com

OTTAWA—A controversial CRTC decision that effectively imposed usage-based Internet billing on small service providers will be reversed, the Toronto Star has learned.

“The CRTC should be under no illusion — the Prime Minister and minister of Industry will reverse this decision unless the CRTC does it itself,” a senior Conservative government official said Wednesday.

“If they don’t reconsider we will reverse their decision.”

The promise to reverse the ruling comes as CRTC Chair Konrad von Finckenstein is scheduled to explain the decision Thursday before the House of Commons industry committee.


Read more: http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/932571--ottawa-threatens-to-reverse-crtc-decision-on-internet-billing

[stockholmer]

1. great news, that tiered usage plan was a horrid gateway to internet censorship

[JBoy]

2. I'm of two minds on this move

I think it's the right decision - Canada doesn't have effective competition in telecommunications, and we pay too much for many of our services - particularly cell and internet. Allowing the big carriers (Bell, Telus, Rogers, Shaw), who are also content providers to implement billing practices that disadvantage other content providers is playing right into their hands. The carriers want to kill off competition like Netflix, while introducing their own content services (that I'm sure wouldn't be subject to any "extra" usage charges).

That said, this is another politically-motivated reaction by Harper, overturning a decision by a supposedly-independent agency. He does that all of the fucking time, and it pisses me off that I actually agree with this one.