Citizen participation will open the possibilities of our digital future

OpenMedia.ca would be nothing without its community – that much is certain. Our entire job is to amplify your voices: to engage people in issues that affect our digital future, and to provide information, build online tools, and facilitate discussions that empower you to influence decisions that will affect your communications freedoms, rights, and interests. Why do we do this? Among other things, it’s because we believe that citizens—you—are the key stakeholders in our digital future. When it comes down to it, the value of the telecom industry is in serving the public—it’s meant to give us the means to participate in political and cultural discourse, in the digital economy and in society, and to connect us to one another. When it fails to do these things—when networks are closed and controlled, or made unaffordable or unavailable—it’s our progress that gets stunted.

Big Telecom has historically pushed back against Canadians’ efforts to participate, in an effort to retain unchecked market dominance. By telling us everything’s okay with our Internet and cell phone markets (they say we already get what we deserve – so why push for better?), they position us for inaction. By saying we’re only outraged because of some kind of herd mentality, they downplay the legitimacy of our participation. By convincing journalists that telecom should be covered only insofar as it’s an industry, they push out our side of the story. It’s pretty messed up, to say the least.

It’s not that they’re evil—they care about their bottom line, and why shouldn’t they—but politicians, policymakers, influencers, and you need to be able to see through the spin, and remember that citizens’ lived reality is what really matters. Our job, here at OpenMedia.ca, is to help make that happen.

That, to a huge degree, is why we need to hear from you. In order to extend our reach, get our message across, and truly represent Canadians, we need to know: Who is the pro-Internet community? What do you care about most right now? What do you want to see us working on? How might you want to help?

Consistent with our belief that the best policymaking is participatory, we at OpenMedia.ca are sure that we are most successful when we tap into the ingenuity and creativity of the pro-Internet community. By participating in our campaigns and giving through donations that sustain our work, pro-Internet Canadians make us what we are: a grassroots, community-led organization.

The Internet impacts every aspect of our lives, and we all deserve a say in its future. How do you want to safeguard the open, affordable, surveillance-free Internet?

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Please take a moment to give us essential input through our short pro-Internet survey.