Ottawa Citizen: Complaints of Internet throttling are on the rise; Rogers may be on the hot seat

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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.

"I think (the increased complaints) is a good thing," Geist said. "We've seen a shift in the last six months . . . obviously, the (CRTC) is more transparent in terms of the number of complaints they're getting — as this release demonstrates — they've been more aggressive about enforcing, as their enforcement action (this month) against Rogers highlights, and I think the public is more aware of the rules and the value of filing complaints because over the last three months in particular, we've seen a pretty big spike in complaints."

The CRTC said Tuesday that in the reporting quarter ending Dec. 30, 2011, it received a total of 41 ITMP-related complaints. By contrast, a total of 67 were received in the two-year period between Oct. 1, 2009 and Sept. 30, 2011. In the last reporting quarter, 18 complaints were forwarded to the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services. Only two others — for a total of 20 — have been submitted since October 2009.

In September 2011, the CRTC issued a bulletin announcing improved reporting practices for Internet complaints, which could be responsible for the recent spike in public concern.

Geist said most Internet companies in Canada have eliminated, or announced their intentions to eliminate, throttling practices, with Rogers remaining as the "one big holdout." Read more »

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Read more at ottawacitizen.com

Read our November 2011 post, Wireless service complaints on the rise in Canada... but so are Big Telecom profits, here.

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