New Democrats say Google-Verizon deal not for Canada

OTTAWA – In the wake of a controversial proposal on net neutrality advanced by Google and Verizon in the United States, New Democrats are calling on the CRTC to lay down clear rules to ensure equality of access to all information on the Internet for all Canadians.

Google and Verizon announced a proposed net neutrality framework that contains some positive principles but excludes wireless networks and any “managed” services, which could range from health-care monitoring to gambling.

“We don’t support any side deals to carve up the wired and wireless world. Historically, Google has been a big ally in the fight to protect net neutrality,” said New Democrat Digital Issues Critic Charlie Angus (Timmins-James Bay). “But this deal is the wrong deal at the wrong time in the history of the internet. We are calling on the CRTC to ensure fair access for all content in the digital world.”

Angus says nothing about the Verizon deal could benefit Canadians because it opens too many loopholes that would allow wireless and new emerging services to be fast-tracked and prioritised to suit corporate interests.

In the past, the CTRC has taken some encouraging steps such as ensuring wired and wireless traffic are treated equally. Nonetheless, Angus has pushed for legislation (C-552) that that would enshrine net neutrality rules for Canadians. He says he will continue to meet with representatives from Google, Canadian carriers and civil society groups to ensure that Canada adopts clear and credible net neutrality rules.

“Innovation isn’t going to be served by claiming that only some content belongs in the realm of the ‘public’ internet,” said Angus. “There is no such thing as a ‘public’ or a ‘private’ internet. There is only digital content. And all this content must be treated in the same way.”