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OpenMedia.ca is a grassroots organization that safeguards the possibilities of the open and affordable Internet. We work towards informed & participatory digital policy. Check out some of our campaigns »
The Latest
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The Return of Lawful Access
Like reality television’s Big Brother, Lawful Access just keeps coming back. Having died on the table of Parliament’s last session, Bills C-50, C-51 and C-52 are bound for a legislative reincarnation this time around. And, with the Bills again on the horizon, Conservative Member of Parliament and Minister of Public Safety, Vic Toews, has fine-tuned his relentless spin on the honest concerns of well-informed, pro-Internet Canadians.
Touting bare necessity, and speaking in absolute terms, Toews continues to push his ‘tough on crime’ take on Lawful Access and to chide Canadians on the perceivable dangers of unbridled online privacy. Toews, the figure behind Bill C-52, one third of the Lawful Access trio, claims that the components of his bill are innocuous and respectful of the privacy rights of Canadians — despite a vague clause empowering the authorities to demand, in the fulfillment of their duties, personal information from Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Read more »
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Stop The Cell Phone Squeeze gains support from indie provider Mobilicity
We at OpenMedia.ca work for Canadians. You fund us, you spread the word, and you play a huge role in shaping who we are. It was because of your input that we started the Stop The Squeeze campaign—hundreds of you have written to us about the cell phone market's high prices, tight contract, and disrespectful customer service.
The Stop The Squeeze campaign focuses on the Big Three cell phone companies' stranglehold on the industry, maintaining that the less choice Canadians have, the worse things will get. We depend on competitors independent of the Big Three to keep the cell phone market in check, so that all Canadians can have access to this increasingly essential service. Read more »
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Rogers to Stop Throttling the Internet
Big Telecom company responds after being caught restricting access to online services
February 3, 2012 – In what pro-Internet group OpenMedia.ca is calling a victory for Internet openness, Rogers has responded to the CRTC’s Compliance and Enforcement division saying that they will cease throttling (the slowing of traffic) on their networks.
In a letter to the CRTC, Rogers acknowledged the complaints made by the Canadian Gamers Organization—a group that spent the past year demonstrating Rogers’ discriminatory practices to the CRTC—and laid out a timeline for the correction of this problem... Read more »
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Is everything alright with Canada’s Internet? Rogers thinks so.
Canadians have access to fast, widely available, and relatively inexpensive Internet service...at least according to Rogers.
Lemay Yates released a report today, commissioned by Rogers, pertaining to Internet speed and availability in Canada compared to that of other countries. The report ranked Canada among the best of the G7 and OECD countries, in terms of speed, availability, and cost of broadband Internet services. But this research directly contradicts a report released by the OECD, in which Canada was ranked significantly lower.
The OECD is not the only organization to have contradictory conclusions to that of Rogers’ study; the New American Foundation also published a report that shows Canada falling behind in comparison to other countries worldwide. Most recently, Akamai’s latest State of the Internet report further corroborated the findings of the other two, and brought Big Telecom into a negative spotlight. Read more »
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The Digital Deficit: Weekly Update from OpenMedia.ca
Hello!
Here's (the always informative and engaging!) Lindsey with your update:
Highlights from the last week include: the Akamai State of the Internet report highlighting Canada as a digital laggard, and the Ontario Privacy Commish slamming the online spying bills on CBC.
- The OpenMedia.ca Team Read more »
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Akamai State of the Internet report shows Canada's digital deficit
In their latest State of the Internet report, Akamai compares key metrics from countries around the world make it clear that Canada has a digital deficit.
We’re falling behind other countries on all things digital; our Internet is slower and more restricted, and both mobile and wired access to the web are more expensive. We've known for a while that Canada is lagging in the four key areas of our digital economy (speed, openness, affordability, content); this report serves to remind us that we need to push our politicians and policymakers to work to catch up. Read more »
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Green Party Leader May and NDP Critic Angus to Join Discussions of Online Surveillance Bills
Event to Inform Criticism of Proposed Bills That Would Allow Warrantless Electronic Spying
Ottawa, ON – In response to proposed bills that would allow warrantless electronic surveillance of Canadians, the Ottawa community is invited to join digital affairs experts and political representatives—including the NDP's Charlie Angus and the Green Party's Elizabeth May—for a lively panel discussion. The event, sponsored by a growing list of public interest organizations, will take place Wednesday, February 8, at the St. Paul University Amphitheatre (223 Main Street).
The Political Panel will be moderated by the prolific digital affairs critic Michael Geist, the Canada Research Chair for Internet and E-commerce Law. To begin, however, a panel featuring some of Canada’s sharpest minds—including cybersecurity specialist Christopher Parsons and communications law expert Kirsten R. Embree—will detail the dangers of the federal government’s impending "Lawful Access" legislation, dubbed "Online Spying" by Canadians. Read more »
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Ottawa Citizen: Complaints of Internet throttling are on the rise; Rogers may be on the hot seat
By Brad Bouzane for Postmedia News
An apparent jump in public awareness over Internet throttling and other practices by service providers in Canada has led to a sharp jump in complaints to the federal regulator, one expert said Tuesday.
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) released figures Tuesday that showed the number of complaints received between Oct. 1 and Dec. 30, 2011 — with the majority based around Internet Traffic Management Practices (ITMPs) — have the agency on pace to far exceed the number of grievances it received over a two-year period between 2009 and 2011.
Michael Geist, a University of Ottawa professor who holds the Canada Research Chair in Internet and e-commerce Law, said new numbers released by the CRTC could be an indication of greater public knowledge about Internet service issues, which has led to more vocal consumers. Read more »
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Ontario Privacy Commish slams the online spying bills in CBC interview
Anne Cavoukian, Ontario's Information and Privacy Commissioner, articulately takes a stand against the upcoming online spying bills in the video below.
Check out her interview on CBC, visit http://StopSpying.ca/ to sign the petition, then spread the word to everyone you know.
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CRTC says capacity billing model will kick in February 1st
The CRTC has announced a start date for the capacity-based model that defeated usage-based billing (Internet metering) late last year. Starting on February 1st, the decision will go into effect, with certain terms and conditions that indie ISPs find objectionable subject to possible renegotiation going forward.
This, in short, means that Big Telecom won't be able to impose metered billing directly onto Canadians using their independent competitors.
There has been a great deal of controversy on the logistics of the new model's implementation—for instance, indie ISPs argue the costs they face in the wake of the CRTC's decision are still higher than they should be—but all in all this has been a step forward for the affordable Internet. Read more »
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Postmedia: Rogers uses "freedom of speech" as excuse for misleading ads
By Sarah Schmidt for Postmedia News
Rogers Communications Inc. is asking an Ontario court to strike down part of a federal law requiring a company to have "adequate and proper" tests of a product's performance before advertising claims about the product — on the grounds that it violates its freedom of expression.
In addition to taking on the performance claims provision of the Competition Act, the telecom giant is arguing before the Ontario Superior Court the hefty financial penalties that can be imposed on a company for making a false or misleading claim are also unconstitutional. Read more »
Campaigns
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Regulators pull back from usage-based billing after half-a-million Canadians speak out
CRTC reconsiders ruling that would let Big Telecom companies control independent competitors, Canadians urged to use indie services
November 15, 2011 – The CRTC has released its decision on Internet metering (usage-based billing), and pro-Internet organization OpenMedia.ca is celebrating it as a step forward for the open and affordable Internet. The decision comes as the result of public pressure, channeled primarily through the group’s Stop The Meter campaign, which included a petition that attracted over half-a-million Canadians.
While there is easily room for criticism, the CRTC’s decision today should allow independent ISPs to survive and help them facilitate an unlimited and unmetered Internet for Canadians. Unfortunately, many Canadians will continue to lack independent, affordable, unmetered Internet access. Read more »
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Citizens' concerns reinforced by Privacy Commissioner letter about online spying
Letter to Toews from Office of the Privacy Commissioner condemns online spying bills
October 27, 2011 – The federal Privacy Commissioner, Jennifer Stoddart, sent another letter to Public Safety Minister Vic Toews today, warning him about the implications of the proposed online spying legislation. The letter touches on many of the points raised by pro-Internet organization OpenMedia.ca, which in partnership with the Stop Online Spying Coalition, hosts a 75,000-strong petition and public engagement campaign in opposition to online spying. Read more »
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Stop The Meter Comes to Fruition: Canadians Will Engage in Hearing In Historic Numbers
July 11, 2011 – Thousands of Canadians will be tuning into the CRTC hearings on usage-based billing today, during which one of Canada's most prolific citizen engagement organizations, OpenMedia.ca, will make the case for affordable and unmetered Internet access. Read more »
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