Broadband Net Neutrality WHY IT MATTERS FOR CANADA

Broadband Net Neutrality WHY IT MATTERS FOR CANADA. WHY IT MATTERS TO YOU. NATIONAL PENSIONERS FEDERATION 72 N D CONVENTION, 2016

Public Interest Advocacy Centre ØPIAC 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. ØPIAC has represented NPF in several high profile hearings before the CRTC on important telecommunications and broadcasting matters. Øwww. piac. ca

Broadband: Accessibility, Quality, Affordability ØAccess: Where is it; can I get it (where I live); what technology is it? ØQuality: How fast is it; how reliable is it; is it good enough to do what I need to do now and in the future? ØAffordability: 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 ØCRTC hearing into “basic service” – now means broadband internet as well as telephone (wireline and wireless) ØTo determine “basic telecommunications” which all Canadians should expect to access ØPIAC and NPF (with others) argued that broadband was “basic telecommunications” and the minimum speed should be 10 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload ØPIAC & NPF also argued that it must be affordable

Basic Service Objective Hearing - 2 ØNPF President Herb John testified that “in some ways, broadband is more important to seniors that to others. ” ØSurveys we filed shows that home internet is important across all ages, and for seniors, most important ØSurveys also showed age 55+ were more likely to bundle broadband with telephone or TV service and less likely to switch internet providers ØSeniors are uniquely affected by baseline broadband

Affordable Broadband for All ØPIAC & NPF therefore asked CRTC for: ØAn “access subsidy” to ensure everyone, everywhere, esp. rural and remote Canada (with higher populations of seniors) have 10/1 Mbps broadband ØAn “affordability subsidy” of between $10 - $20 a month for low-income Canadians to help them afford broadband ØPIAC & NPF await the decision – expected December 2016 ØNote: Canada has no National Broadband Plan like U. S. A.

Net Neutrality ØWhat is it? Why does this matter? Why should I care? ØNet Neutrality is actually two things: law and policy. ØLaw of “common carriage” has applied to public utility-like services such telecommunications since the telegraph ØPolicy of “net neutrality” has arisen with the Internet ØCombination of two keeps Internet open and accessible, high quality and hopefully at a lower price

Law: Common Carriage ØCommon carriage means the “carrier” (telco or ISP) must: ØServe all customers who want service ØCharge “just and reasonable” rates, made public ØTreat/charge all customers equally (no unjust discrimination) ØProvide service with “due care” (adequate quality) ØHOWEVER, since late 1990 s for telephone and always, for Internet service, CRTC has only required no unjust discrimination, saying the free market would police the rest

Net Neutrality ØNet neutrality comes from the “end to end” network design principle of the “open” Internet ØTraffic is passed without modification or interference by network providers according to equal protocols ØLeaves control “at the edge” of network; means applications and users drive use of Internet and its shape ØCreates a policy of decentralization that favours individuality, autonomy and free speech

Canadian “Net Neutrality” Decisions ØCRTC was arguably first regulator to address net neutrality in 2009 in decision that restricted ISPs “throttling” speed ØIn 2014, CRTC forbade Bell Canada from favouring its own video content over the Internet by not charging for this data ØIn 2015, CRTC took PIAC complaint about similar “zerorating” of music streaming services on Videotron in Quebec ØCRTC made this complaint into major hearing about all zero-rating. PIAC: unjust discrimination; net neutrality wins

Threats to Net Neutrality ØInternet 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? ØU. S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) says: ØISPs have the technical means to discriminate and control ØISPs have the economic incentive to discriminate and control ØCRTC 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? ØUnjust discrimination hurts you because: ØIf you don’t use the free service, you are still paying for it ØIf what you want to watch, listen to or view isn’t favoured – you may pay more – because you may exceed your data cap ØFavoured services are overwhelmingly aimed at the young ØUnjust discrimination hurts others because: ØSmaller “edge providers” can’t make deals with big ISPs ØISPs are “gatekeepers” and “pick winners and losers” ØISPs are less incentivized to improve the network they “manage”

What can you (and NPF) do? ØNPF 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: ØExpress your opinion to NPF’s Board ØComment directly during the CRTC hearing on zero-rating ØTalk to others about broadband net neutrality and why both are important ØWrite, 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?