SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
The renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) poses a threat to net neutrality in Canada. (Photo: CREDO Action/flickr/cc)
The renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) poses a threat to net neutrality in Canada.
The Toronto Star reports, "U.S. telecom regulators have confirmed plans to roll back Obama-era rules designed to protect net neutrality."
In response, Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains has commented, "Canada will continue to stand for diversity and freedom of expression. Our government remains committed to the principles of net neutrality."
Let's hope so.
The loss of net neutrality would mean "a two-tiered system where certain content is favoured for paid subscribers, while other streams are blocked or slowed."
The Toronto Star news report cautions, "John Lawford, executive director and general counsel for the Public Interest Advocacy Centre [says] major wireless carriers in Canada could seek a review of Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission net neutrality policies, arguing that harmonization with the U.S. to protect investment here is now warranted..."
OpenMedia has warned, "Canada has some of the strongest pro-consumer net neutrality safeguards in the world, recently reinforced by the CRTC's landmark decision to ban telecom providers from engaging in discriminatory pricing practices. By contrast, the U.S. under Trump is moving to rapidly dismantle its own net neutrality safeguards, and the concern is that they'll use NAFTA to force Canada into line with an agenda that prioritizes the narrow interests of U.S. telecom giants over the broader interests of Canadian consumers."
They have additionally highlighted, "Canada has strong Net Neutrality regulations that protect free expression and create the conditions innovators need to succeed. Under NAFTA, we should not accept any policies that would weaken these safeguards or prevent us from enforcing these rules."
But it's very likely that the regulatory 'cooperation' and 'harmonization' agenda built into NAFTA would do just that.
The Council of Canadians has long argued for net neutrality.
In May 2008, Council of Canadians campaigner Meera Karunananthan spoke at a net neutrality rally on Parliament Hill.
We believe the Internet should be a commons that prioritizes equitable access to information over commercialization. Given the growing number of media outlets in crisis, net neutrality is an increasingly essential principle for ensuring public participation in what can and must be a much more democratic media system.
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
The renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) poses a threat to net neutrality in Canada.
The Toronto Star reports, "U.S. telecom regulators have confirmed plans to roll back Obama-era rules designed to protect net neutrality."
In response, Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains has commented, "Canada will continue to stand for diversity and freedom of expression. Our government remains committed to the principles of net neutrality."
Let's hope so.
The loss of net neutrality would mean "a two-tiered system where certain content is favoured for paid subscribers, while other streams are blocked or slowed."
The Toronto Star news report cautions, "John Lawford, executive director and general counsel for the Public Interest Advocacy Centre [says] major wireless carriers in Canada could seek a review of Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission net neutrality policies, arguing that harmonization with the U.S. to protect investment here is now warranted..."
OpenMedia has warned, "Canada has some of the strongest pro-consumer net neutrality safeguards in the world, recently reinforced by the CRTC's landmark decision to ban telecom providers from engaging in discriminatory pricing practices. By contrast, the U.S. under Trump is moving to rapidly dismantle its own net neutrality safeguards, and the concern is that they'll use NAFTA to force Canada into line with an agenda that prioritizes the narrow interests of U.S. telecom giants over the broader interests of Canadian consumers."
They have additionally highlighted, "Canada has strong Net Neutrality regulations that protect free expression and create the conditions innovators need to succeed. Under NAFTA, we should not accept any policies that would weaken these safeguards or prevent us from enforcing these rules."
But it's very likely that the regulatory 'cooperation' and 'harmonization' agenda built into NAFTA would do just that.
The Council of Canadians has long argued for net neutrality.
In May 2008, Council of Canadians campaigner Meera Karunananthan spoke at a net neutrality rally on Parliament Hill.
We believe the Internet should be a commons that prioritizes equitable access to information over commercialization. Given the growing number of media outlets in crisis, net neutrality is an increasingly essential principle for ensuring public participation in what can and must be a much more democratic media system.
The renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) poses a threat to net neutrality in Canada.
The Toronto Star reports, "U.S. telecom regulators have confirmed plans to roll back Obama-era rules designed to protect net neutrality."
In response, Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains has commented, "Canada will continue to stand for diversity and freedom of expression. Our government remains committed to the principles of net neutrality."
Let's hope so.
The loss of net neutrality would mean "a two-tiered system where certain content is favoured for paid subscribers, while other streams are blocked or slowed."
The Toronto Star news report cautions, "John Lawford, executive director and general counsel for the Public Interest Advocacy Centre [says] major wireless carriers in Canada could seek a review of Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission net neutrality policies, arguing that harmonization with the U.S. to protect investment here is now warranted..."
OpenMedia has warned, "Canada has some of the strongest pro-consumer net neutrality safeguards in the world, recently reinforced by the CRTC's landmark decision to ban telecom providers from engaging in discriminatory pricing practices. By contrast, the U.S. under Trump is moving to rapidly dismantle its own net neutrality safeguards, and the concern is that they'll use NAFTA to force Canada into line with an agenda that prioritizes the narrow interests of U.S. telecom giants over the broader interests of Canadian consumers."
They have additionally highlighted, "Canada has strong Net Neutrality regulations that protect free expression and create the conditions innovators need to succeed. Under NAFTA, we should not accept any policies that would weaken these safeguards or prevent us from enforcing these rules."
But it's very likely that the regulatory 'cooperation' and 'harmonization' agenda built into NAFTA would do just that.
The Council of Canadians has long argued for net neutrality.
In May 2008, Council of Canadians campaigner Meera Karunananthan spoke at a net neutrality rally on Parliament Hill.
We believe the Internet should be a commons that prioritizes equitable access to information over commercialization. Given the growing number of media outlets in crisis, net neutrality is an increasingly essential principle for ensuring public participation in what can and must be a much more democratic media system.