Download Broadband and Net Neutrality - National Pensioners Federation

Broadband and Net
Neutrality
WHY IT MAT TERS FOR CANADA. WHY IT MAT TERS TO YOU.
NATIONAL PENSIONERS FEDERATION 72 ND CONVENTION, 2016
Public Interest Advocacy Centre
PIAC is national, non-profit organization and registered
charity that provides legal and research services on behalf
of consumer interests, and, in particular, vulnerable
consumer interests, concerning the provision of important
public services.
PIAC has represented NPF in several high profile hearings
before the CRTC on important telecommunications and
broadcasting matters.
www.piac.ca
Broadband: Accessibility, Quality,
Affordability
Access: Where is it; can I get it (where I live); what
technology is it?
Quality: How fast is it; how reliable is it; is it good enough
to do what I need to do now and in the future?
Affordability: How much does it cost? Does it fit my
budget? Can I tailor it to my needs? Can it replace older
services (e.g., wireline telephone, cable TV)? Does it affect
the cost of other services (bundling)? Can it save me
money?
Basic Service Objective Hearing
CRTC hearing into “basic service” – now means broadband
internet as well as telephone (wireline and wireless)
To determine “basic telecommunications” which all
Canadians should expect to access
PIAC and NPF (with others) argued that broadband was
“basic telecommunications” and the minimum speed should
be 10 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload
PIAC & NPF also argued that it must be affordable
Basic Service Objective Hearing - 2
NPF President Herb John testified that “in some ways,
broadband is more important to seniors that to others.”
Surveys we filed shows that home internet is important
across all ages, and for seniors, most important
Surveys also showed age 55+ were more likely to bundle
broadband with telephone or TV service and less likely to
switch internet providers
Seniors are uniquely affected by baseline broadband
Affordable Broadband for All
PIAC & NPF therefore asked CRTC for:
An “access subsidy” to ensure everyone, everywhere, esp.
rural and remote Canada (with higher populations of seniors)
have 10/1 Mbps broadband
An “affordability subsidy” of between $10 - $20 a month for
low-income Canadians to help them afford broadband
PIAC & NPF await the decision – expected December 2016
Note: Canada has no National Broadband Plan like U.S.A.
Net Neutrality
What is it? Why does this matter? Why should I care?
Net Neutrality is actually two things: law and policy.
Law of “common carriage” has applied to public utility-like
services such telecommunications since the telegraph
Policy of “net neutrality” has arisen with the Internet
Combination of two keeps Internet open and accessible,
high quality and hopefully at a lower price
Law: Common Carriage
Common carriage means the “carrier” (telco or ISP) must:
Serve all customers who want service
Charge “just and reasonable” rates, made public
Treat/charge all customers equally (no unjust discrimination)
Provide service with “due care” (adequate quality)
HOWEVER, since late 1990s for telephone and always, for
Internet service, CRTC has only required no unjust
discrimination, saying the free market would police the rest
Net Neutrality
Net neutrality comes from the “end to end” network
design principle of the “open” Internet
Traffic is passed without modification or interference by
network providers according to equal protocols
Leaves control “at the edge” of network; means
applications and users drive use of Internet and its shape
Creates a policy of decentralization that favours
individuality, autonomy and free speech
Canadian “Net Neutrality” Decisions
CRTC was arguably first regulator to address net neutrality
in 2009 in decision that restricted ISPs “throttling” speed
In 2014, CRTC forbade Bell Canada from favouring its own
video content over the Internet by not charging for this data
In 2015, CRTC took PIAC complaint about similar “zerorating” of music streaming services on Videotron in Quebec
CRTC made this complaint into major hearing about all
zero-rating. PIAC: unjust discrimination; net neutrality wins
Threats to Net Neutrality
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) which insert themselves in the
inter-networking between customer and services threaten the
end to end principle with unjustly discriminatory actions. Why?
U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) says:
ISPs have the technical means to discriminate and control
ISPs have the economic incentive to discriminate and control
CRTC has yet to acknowledge this threat explicitly – ISPs can
charge for access or unfairly discount some Internet traffic
Why is “zero-rating” bad for you?
Unjust discrimination hurts you because:
If you don’t use the free service, you are still paying for it
If what you want to watch, listen to or view isn’t favoured – you
may pay more – because you may exceed your data cap
Favoured services are overwhelmingly aimed at the young
Unjust discrimination hurts others because:
Smaller “edge providers” can’t make deals with big ISPs
ISPs are “gatekeepers” and “pick winners and losers”
ISPs are less incentivized to improve the network they “manage”
What can you (and NPF) do?
NPF has joined PIAC in the fight over broadband access, quality
and affordability as well as net neutrality and zero-rating. As a
member, you can:
Express your opinion to NPF’s Board
Comment directly during the CRTC hearing on zero-rating
Talk to others about broadband and net neutrality and why both
are important
Write, call or email your Member of Parliament –
telecommunications is a federal responsibility and the federal
government has been virtually silent about both topics
Thank you and questions?