A world without the free and open Internet?
- Details
- Published on Sunday, 30 December 2018 05:00
- Written by editor
Paov,
Last summer, Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains instructed the CRTC to address the outrageous cell phone bills suffered by Canadians.
...And what did the CRTC do? Instead of setting the bar for affordability, the agency asked Big Telecom what they thought an affordable data plan was—and then just rubber-stamped their current outrageously expensive plans.
This is why OpenMedia exists—because the people need a voice to fight for the free and open Internet. We have plans to call out the CRTC and push Minister Bains to give Canada real low-cost alternatives to the Big Three. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg of what we have planned for 2019. But we need your help.
The CRTC’s sellout to Big Telecom is just one example of what happens when corporations have control of our Internet access. Rather than open up the market to MVNO competitors to allow Canadians truly affordable choices, the CRTC asked Bell, Rogers, and Telus to give low-income people new plans. Not only are the offered plans unreasonable—offering less than 1GB of data in most cases, and no voice or messaging service — but they are repackaged plans that the Big Three already offered.1
Next year, the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Acts are under review by Parliament.2 These are the acts that govern how Canada’s Internet operates—everything from content to speed to access.
Big Telecom is going to be lobbying hard to gain as much control as possible, and if we don’t fight back, the consequences could be dire. The end of Net Neutrality. A return of Bell’s nationwide website blocking scheme, Fairplay. Skyrocketing costs.
OpenMedia was founded on the principle of free and open Internet access, and we’re going to keep fighting in 2019. But we’re counting on you to make sure we have the resources we need. Are you in?
TRIPLE YOUR DONATIONYours for the Internet,
Alana, and the whole team at OpenMedia
Footnotes:
[1] Telecom Decision CRTC 2018-475: Government of Canada
[2] Government of Canada launches review of Telecommunications and Broadcasting Acts: Cision
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