Who should make the policies that will determine the future of the Internet? A select list of corporate lobbyists and unelected government officials, meeting without public oversight or involvement? Or -- Internet users and digital policy experts, using digital tools and thoughtful processes, combined with review and sign-off by elected decision makers and the general public?

Who should make the policies that will determine the future of the Internet? A select list of corporate lobbyists and unelected government officials, meeting without public oversight or involvement? Or -- Internet users and digital policy experts, using digital tools and thoughtful processes, combined with review and sign-off by elected decision makers and the general public?

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) exploded onto the Canadian media landscape last week, when negotiators from the 12 participating countries finally agreed on a deal. Even if you were paying attention, you might not have heard about the impacts on the Internet, since much of the focus was on the farming and auto sectors. But the TPP is about a lot more than dairy and cars – it’s also about our fundamental right to free expression. Maybe the neglect of digital rights is why the Canadian media coverage of the TPP was oddly positive – it simply ignored the great harm that the TPP represents to Internet freedom, and intellectual freedom more broadly. But well-respected economists like Joseph Stiglitz and Jeffrey Sachs have been paying attention, and sounding the alarm about the impacts this deal will have on things like generic drugs, and consequently people’s access to medicine.  

At OpenMedia, we believe in the possibilities of the open Internet. We're working to safeguard the possibility to easily create ties and connections with people all over the world. The challenge, however, is when those ties remain weak -- when we only know each other very loosely, not enough to collaborate on big projects together, or build relationships over time. This is why OpenMedia has been working to grow Digital Action Teams (DATs) - teams of thousands of people who collaborate together to make our work to safeguard the open and affordable Internet stronger and more effective.  

At OpenMedia, we're pretty attached to the phrase "possibilities of the open Internet." We know that, for better or for worse, technological changes are a huge factor in driving broader systems change (and vice versa). The advent of the Internet, and with it the much-hyped, much-maligned "Digital Age," has brought with it new possibilities for huge changes in our political system. It makes possible a democracy that is more participatory, responsive, inclusive...i.e. much more truly democratic. If the Internet creates the possibility for a more participatory system -- at an extreme, for something like a daily referendum on significant policy issues -- it also raises serious questions about how to manage exponentially greater participation. How will we incorporate experts and their unique perspectives into decision-making? How will we ensure those with limited time are still given a voice? How will we prevent participation fatigue, and ensure that participating is a good experience?

At OpenMedia, we're pretty attached to the phrase "possibilities of the open Internet." We know that, for better or for worse, technological changes are a huge factor in driving broader systems change (and vice versa). The advent of the Internet, and with it the much-hyped, much-maligned "Digital Age," has brought with it new possibilities for huge changes in our political system. It makes possible a democracy that is more participatory, responsive, inclusive...i.e. much more truly democratic.

This post is from OpenMedia and does not represent the Fair Deal Coalition. For over two years now, we've been pushing back against the secretive and extreme Trans-Pacific Partnership, specifically the provisions around intellectual property, which would censor the Internet and require your Internet service provider to make serious violations of your privacy rights. Those behind this deal - the 12 negotiating countries, and the industry lobbyists who get privileged access to the negotiations - never make it easy for civil society groups to participate in the negotiating rounds. This time really was a new low, however, as at the last minute the location of the talks changed from Vancouver to Ottawa - 3,500 kilometres away. Since we'd already promised the over 19,000 people who submitted comments using our

A few years ago, we at OpenMedia began to realize that fighting against efforts to shut down the open Internet wasn’t enough - we needed to clearly articulate what we were fighting for. And we needed to do this with you, our amazing pro-Internet supporters. Since then, we’ve experimented with lots of different ways to crowdsource our plans, and create positive alternatives together. Our

When several senior representatives from Telus asked us to meet with them we knew immediately what we wanted the meeting to include: direct citizen stories about disrespectful and expensive cell phone service in Canada. This was clearly a unique opportunity to bring Canadian voices directly to executives running one of the big three cell phone giants. We shared a story from John, who was unexpectedly hit with a $300 bill from Telus after asking for a voice-only plan and unknowingly using expensive, metered data services. John quite effectively articulated the limited options facing customers: “What do I do to not pay this outrageous fee? Spend more hours on the phone? Spend thousands on legal fees to fight $300? Refuse to pay it, and have my credit rating dinged?” Reps from Telus discussed the various steps that they have taken to address these kinds of complaints. We highlighted some of the themes we’ve been hearing from you via Cell Phone Horror Stories, and on our Facebook wall: disrespectful customer service with unreasonable hold times; long contract lengths with expensive termination fees; false charges on your bills and a refusal to remove them; and high roaming fees in a context where cell phone service is already very expensive.

As we head into fall, we’re energized to see that our work is moving forward, bringing greater cooperation and coordination both with international partners and with groups of citizens. We’re taking a moment to update you on what’s at stake, and ways you can help: Fair pricing and affordability Advancing our vibrant digital economy, and defending your wallet We at OpenMedia.ca are best known for our unprecedented win in the fight against Internet metering, when over half-a-million Canadians used OpenMedia.ca as a platform to take power away from telecom giants, and give it back to citizens. But the fight for an affordable Internet is far from over. Canadians still pay some of the highest prices in the industrialized world for some of the worst service.