This article was originally published on the Huffington Post. Yesterday, U.S. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler announced his agency’s commitment to the strongest possible rules to prevent telecommunications companies from forcing certain websites and services into a slow lane online. At issue here are so-called “net neutrality” rules – rules which dictate
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OpenMedia.ca: Huffington Post: FCC Chairman makes a huge promise
Are we in for a big win against the Internet slow lane? Article by Josh Tabish for The Huffington Post Yesterday, U.S. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler announced his agency’s commitment to the strongest possible rules to prevent telecommunications companies from forcing certain websites and services into a slow lane online.
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: OpenMedia is crowdsourcing a Jumbotron at the FCC for the final Net Neutrality push
FCC Chair Tom Wheeler has just revealed key details about upcoming rules to stop Big Telecom’s Internet slow lane plan. Decision-makers are on the right path but we know telecom lobbyists are pulling out all the stops to stuff the rules full of loopholes before the FCC’s final vote on
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Gigaom: Net neutrality violators just got smacked down
Could Canada lead the way in the fight for net neutrality? Article by David Meyer for Gigaom The list of countries that find zero-rating to be a violation of net neutrality just keeps on growing, with Canada the latest to crack down on the practice. read more
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: In big win for Internet users, CRTC finds Bell Mobility unlawfully made competing mobile video apps and services more expensive
10418983_10152770578749759_4936705458735744107_n_0.png Following case taken by concerned Canadians and public interest groups, CRTC says mobile providers cannot markup independent services like Netflix to give their own content an unfair advantage January 29, 2015 – A landmark decision from the CRTC today has determined that Bell Mobility unlawfully made competing mobile apps
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: The Varsity: Student activism and the Internet
How young people can lead in the fight against Internet slow lanes. Article by Julien Balbontin for The Varsity Net neutrality is a guiding principle for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) that is simple to grasp: according to the Oxford Dictionaries, ISPs must permit “access to all content and applications regardless of
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: CBC: Cancel your TV, Internet, and phone whenever you want
Goodbye, 30-day cancellation notices! Don’t let the door hit you on the way out! Article by the CBC Canadians no longer have to give a 30-day notice to cancel or change their television, internet or landline telephone service, the CRTC says. In a release, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission said
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Medium: This is how you create change
Why the sudden turn-around on the Internet slow lane debate in the U.S.? It’s simple: Internet users spoke out. Article by Susan Crawford for Medium Five years ago, when the Obama administration was still wet behind the ears and hugely popular, the Obama Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a National
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: AlphaBeatic: Why we can’t have nice things?
The State of New York is now investing more in broadband then Canada’s federal government. Article by Peter Nowak for AlphaBeatic New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced a $1 billion (U.S.) plan to bring super-fast broadband speeds to the state by 2019. The state itself is going to invest
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Le Devoir: Nos vitesses Internet lentes nous étouffent
Il est temps pour le government d’aborder nos vitesses Internet lentes. Article par Fabien Deglise pour Le Devoir Lenteur et récrimination. Open Media, un groupe de pression influent qui milite pour un Internet libre, demande au gouvernement fédéral de cesser d’aborder avec légèreté la question de la vitesse de transmission
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Obama Administration to provide citizens with faster, cheaper Internet while Canada falls behind
US_LTTE_fbshare.png Internet advocates celebrate Obama’s move, and point to it as the type of action required to get Canada’s Internet rates and speeds on par with global counterparts. January 14, 2015 – Internet advocates are celebrating this afternoon’s announcement from the Obama Administration pushing for common-sense steps to stop U.S.
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Guest Blog: How Shaw’s artificial price hike could devastate indie ISPs
As you may have heard, Shaw is trying to abuse their control of key Internet infrastructure to increase Internet prices for Canadians who subscribe to independent ISPs. Not only are Shaw taking advantage of their own customers by cranking up prices for their Internet, they’re also trying to force competing
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Shaw is trying to force indie Internet providers to artificially raise prices for Canadians
10418983_10152770578749759_4936705458735744107_n.png New move blocks Canadians from affordable Internet alternatives, in attempt to force independent providers to raise prices in line with Shaw’s recent steep price hike January 8, 2015 – Reports indicate that Shaw is attempting to abuse their control of key Internet infrastructure to artificially increase Internet prices for
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Confirmed: Shaw rings in 2015 by charging higher prices for slower Internet
confirmed-shaw.png January 6, 2015 – Shaw today confirmed that it will be charging higher prices for slower Internet in 2015. Concerned Internet users warned of these price hikes back in December and confirmation today has sparked outrage online. The changes mean that new customers will need to choose between getting slower Internet speeds, or paying more for
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Michael Geist: No time to waste: the government needs to do better on digital issues
With an election looming this year, here are Michael Geist’s thoughts on how the government could fix Canada’s digital policy in 2015. What do you think? Article by Michael Geist A new year is traditionally the time to refresh and renew personal goals. The same is true in the digital
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Happy Holidays Internet community! We’ll be back in January!
It’s been a busy, wacky, wonderful year here at OpenMedia and we’re ready for a break. Enjoy your well-deserved time off, Internet community, and we’ll see you in the new year. Happy Holidays! – your OpenMedia team read more
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: James Moore spectrum announcement hailed as a positive step forward to enable greater wireless choice and lower prices
gatekeepers-share.png In response to outcry for Canadians, Industry Canada has taken steps to ensure Canadians have greater access to affordable, independent wireless providers December 18, 2014 – Industry Minister James Moore has announced new measures aimed at improving wireless service for Canadians. OpenMedia welcomes the announcement, which will reserve a
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Advocates celebrate new powers by oversight bodies to impose financial penalties on telecom companies that break the rules
wewinwithyou.png Following years-long campaign, CRTC is now empowered to levy financial penalties against telecom providers who mistreat customers December 17, 2014 – This morning’s announcement of new powers allowing the CRTC to impose financial penalties against companies caught violating the Telecommunications Act comes in response to a key request made by OpenMedia in
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Revealed: Holiday pricing change from Shaw means 10% higher fees and 40% slower Internet service
shawgrinch2.png December 16, 2014 – Shaw Communications is reportedly raising Internet prices by 10% and slashing Internet speeds by up to 40-50% for many customers beginning in January. Multiple Shaw representatives have confirmed this change to concerned Internet users. OpenMedia Campaigns Manager Josh Tabish had this to say regarding the news: “Canadian Internet users everywhere ought to be outraged
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Washington Post: Will changes in the U.S. ruin your Internet?
If the U.S. allows Big Telecom to build an Internet slow lane, how will the rest of the world be affected? Article by Nancy Scola for The Washington Post Two human rights professors at the George Washington University Law School have come up with that rarest of unicorns in the
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