Press release

June 11, 2013 – A group of organizations focused on civil liberties, pro-democracy, privacy rights, and open access to the Internet have joined to together to demand answers and immediate action from the government after it was revealed that a secretive government agency has been spying on the telephone and Internet activities of individuals, including law-abiding Canadians.

The organizations speaking out today include Amnesty International Canada, the BC Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA), the BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association (BCFIPA), Council of Canadians, International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group, Leadnow, OpenMedia.ca, Privacy & Access Council of Canada, the Rocky Mountain Civil Liberties Association, and the Samuelson-Glushko Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC). OpenMedia.ca worked with many of these same organizations to host the StopSpying.ca campaign that successfully defeated the government’s online spying bill C-30. Read more »

OpenMedia.ca commends Industry Minister response to citizen campaign for choice and affordability in cell phone market, calls for more clarity

June 4, 2013 – OpenMedia.ca is welcoming today’s government announcement that it will continue to set aside valuable wireless spectrum for new entrants – a decision that should help level the playing field for independent providers and large incumbent telecom conglomerates. However the citizen group says Canadians want to see more clarity from the Minister regarding Rogers’ plan to obtain spectrum set aside for new independent mobile services for Canadians. The Rogers plan breaks Industry Canada rules and the Industry Minister has still not committed to putting a stop to it.

Industry Minister Paradis announced that Big Telecom giants will not be allowed to take over spectrum assets that had been set aside in 2008 to enable increased choice and affordability in Canada’s highly-concentrated and expensive cell phone market. Read more »

New Code a starting point that begins to addresses citizen concerns on broken cell phone market

June 3, 2013 – OpenMedia.ca is welcoming the CRTC’s publication of its new Code of Conduct for Canadian cell phone providers. The new Code addresses restrictive three year contracts while leaving some work to do in other areas.

OpenMedia.ca says that Canadians will welcome new rules stipulating that cell phone users can exit their contracts after two years without penalty, even if they have signed up for a longer term. Under the new Code, cell phone users can also unlock their device after 90 days, or immediately if they have paid for their device in full. This means that customers aren’t tied to an expensive provider – especially when travelling abroad. The new Code also sets cut-off points for additional data charges, capping additional data charges at $50 a month and roaming data charges at $100 a month – a measure that will reduce bill shock for data. Read more »

May 28, 2013 – Led by Canadian Internet freedom group OpenMedia.ca, members of a diverse international coalition have written to Trade Ministers in several countries to demand a ‘Fair Deal’ on provisions that would restrict internet use in the ongoing Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) talks.

The letter sent to Canadian Trade Minister Ed Fast strongly criticizes the imbalance in the TPP talks between the interests of old industry conglomerates and those of citizens and innovative businesses. It urges the minister to reject copyright proposals that would restrict the open Internet, access to knowledge, economic opportunity, and Canadians’ fundamental rights. Read more »

As officials meet in Peru for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, Canadian groups are helping launch an international “Fair Deal” coalition

May 21, 2013 – Today, OpenMedia.ca and a coalition of organisations representing a diversity of interests have come together from around the world to ask for a fair deal on intellectual property (IP) in the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP).

The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a trade agreement being negotiated by Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Peru, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Vietnam, and the United States. The changes to copyright required by the TPP would reduce access to information and restrict the ability to innovate, both on and offline. Read more »