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B.C. Government Voices Support for Net Neutrality

I've already discussed noteworthy submissions to the CRTC net neutrality proceeding from the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (privacy and DPI), Pelmorex (wireless net neutrality) and Canadian creator groups (P2P for distribution).  While the submission from the Open Internet Coalition has attracted some media interest, I think several others deserve attention.  Interestingly, the B.C. Government, through Network B.C., has also jumped into the fray.  According to their submission (zip file):

Net neutrality should be accepted as the bedrock upon which the Internet rests. Net neutrality also depends heavily on investment in robust and scalable network infrastructure. However, “aggressive traffic shaping” practices contributes little to network infrastructure investment and only leads to a short-term false sense of security that existing and legacy networks can be squeezed to meet future capacity requirements. Further, the use of aggressive traffic shaping practices potentially defers what should be ongoing network upgrade practices thus potentially leading to the need for massive network investments in the future.

Starting from this position, the B.C. government argues that:

Aggressive traffic shaping as a net management practice, particularly where an ISP is reliant on a solitary Gateway Service Provider, is antithetical to the policy objectives outlines in section 7(a)(b)(g)(f) and (h) on the Telecommunications Act.

The submission is important since it highlights the growing prominence of the provinces in Internet access issues.  As more provinces invest in networks to provide access to all their residents, the net neutrality issue could attract attention in federal – provincial matters.

5 Comments

  1. government agency
    I think you should be very careful in characterizing Network B.C.’s submission as that of the British Columbia government as a whole.

  2. did you read their submission
    hardly supports a neutral net. Ha!

  3. why is it wrong to characterize Network BC as the BC government’s position?
    “government agency” writes above that one should be “careful in characterizing Network B.C.’s submission as that of the BC government as a whole.”

    Why? It states very clearly on their website http://www.network.gov.bc.ca/about.htm that they are part of the Office of the CIO of the Province of BC. Do you know something the rest of us don’t (but should)?

  4. Michael Geist says:

    Re: Listening’s Comment
    The submission explicitly states “Network BC on Behalf of the Government of the Province of British Columbia.” It is Network BC that has characterized its submission in this fashion.

    MG

  5. Don’t credit the Campbell govt. for anything good…
    The CIO and the government hate each other. It’s an amazing relationship they have that defies all definitions of a working relationship.