We submitted input from nearly 4,500 people to the CRTC, urging the Commission to force Big Telecom to provide fibre wholesale access to indie ISPs!

Community broadband is an exciting opportunity for Canadians to take the their digital future into their own hands by building their own Internet. That's right - their own!

When I read the news of Bell buying MTS I felt my wallet shudder.

Yikes! Bell is looking to take over Manitoba Telecom Services, bringing Manitobans higher prices and less choice. And nobody wants that.

With your support we've been able to share your cell phone horror stories with decision-makers at the CRTC, bring your messages directly to officials behind the TPP, and continue in amplifying Canadian voices on an international level. Cory Doctorow, co-editor of Boing Boing and digital rights activist, had this to say: "At a time when Canada's regulators are asleep at the wheel, when giant telcos and the US Trade Representative's interests are getting more play than the Canadian public's desperate need for open, fair, and fast networks, OpenMedia is an indispensable and tireless fighter for justice and balance." Let us continue to work for you by making a contribution to OpenMedia at OpenMedia.ca/Allies.

It’s no secret that when it comes to the Internet, Canadians pay higher prices for worse services than most countries in the industrialized world. This is largely because a handful of Big Telecom companies control upwards of 94% of the Internet service market in Canada, meaning that Canadians don’t have much real choice. Big Telecom's grip on Canadian communications needs to come to an end, and our policy-makers need to set the stage for real choice. Read and share our Action Plan for an open and affordable Internet at OpenMedia.ca/Plan. Help us continue to amplify Canadians’ voices by joining us as a monthly donor at OpenMedia.ca/Allies. Special thanks to Juljka for creating this infographic for us! This graph represents only one measure of pricing. Canada has gone from a leader to a middling country for broadband pricing in general. See broader statistics at OECD.org (see point 4 - Pricing) and download the statistics used for this chart as an Excel file here. View the full version by clicking on the image below.

Telus has announced plans to cut back on user bandwidth for its Internet service starting early next year. This Internet disservice comes after Telus met with OpenMedia to state that they were wanting to make amends with Canadians. Now is the time for Canadians to take action in making the switch to Distributel, TekSavvy or another independent ISP at OpenMedia.ca/Switch. Help us keep Big Telecom on their toes by making a contribution to OpenMedia at OpenMedia.ca/Allies. Article by Daniel Tencer for The Huffington Post Some Telus customers are upset after the phone and internet service company started sending out notifications that it is reducing upload and download limits on its home internet service. The change, which comes into effect on Feb. 1, 2013, affects only Telus customers who use the company’s land-line internet service, which is available in Alberta and British Columbia. Users of the Telus High-Speed service will see their upload and download cap reduced to 100 gigabytes per month from the current 150 gigabytes. Users of its highest-level service — Telus High Speed Turbo 25 — will see their download caps halved, to 250 gB from the current 500 gB. (A complete list of the new bandwidth caps is available at the Telus website.)

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) discussions are underway – leaving citizens worldwide to question the motivations of some of the countries involved. These discussions could lead to strict Internet governance, increased access costs and an erosion of human rights online. Send a message directly to ITU delegates at ProtectInternetFreedom.net/Stand. Read more on the ITU discussions getting underway and what's at stake for your Internet use in an article at The National Post.

Yesterday saw Syria's Internet and mobile communications 'shut off' from the outside world. If repressive regimes have their way at next week's ITU discussions, this restrictive governance of Internet use could be legitimized and applied to citizens worldwide. Join us alongside a multi-national coalition of pro-Internet organizations in speaking out at ProtectInternetFreedom.net. Read more on this story regarding Syria's Internet blackout.

Repressive regimes could gain dominant control over the Internet following next month's ITU discussions. This would mean greater surveillance over everyday online activity, more expensive access costs, and strict censorship that would have governments deciding what citizens can or cannot see. But what exactly is the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and how would it affect your Internet use? Check out this video by ProtectInternetFreedom.net coalition partners Fight For The Future and Accessnow.org to help provide some insight into how the ITU is putting your Internet freedom at risk.

A closed-door meeting to be held next month will determine if your Internet use will become governed by a UN agency – the ITU – in imposing greater controls and limiting personal expression. In response, we've assembled a multi-national coalition of organizations and citizens to express their rights to Internet freedom. Learn more about who's involved and add your voice to this global movement to ProtectInternetFreedom.net. Article by Paola Totaro and Claire Connelly for News Limited Network An unfettered internet, free of political control and available to everyone could be relegated to cyber-history under a contentious proposal by a little known United Nations body. Experts claim that political and religious websites could disappear if the Federal Government backs a plan to hand control over the internet to the UN's International Telecommunications Union (ITU).

Canadians in the north are on the brink of a digital divide as aging networks, service outages and prohibitive costs all continue to affect everyday communications services. It's a struggle that is attributed to a dominant monopoly by Northwestel – a Bell subsidiary – that has been criticized in the past for mismanaging government funding. We've put together an Action Plan to remedy this digital disconnect, working to establish an open and affordable Internet for all. Learn more and share it with your MP at OpenMedia.ca/Plan. Article by Peter Nowak for The Globe and Mail: When Peter Jackson was making The Lord of the Rings trilogy, his iPod racked up some serious frequent-flyer miles. The device journeyed around the world multiple times as the director shuttled music for the films between his home and shooting locations in New Zealand and his studio in London. With the high cost of Internet bandwidth in New Zealand at the time, it was the only realistic way to move the data around. Over the course of production, Jackson sent 1.5 terabytes of data back and forth via courier. Each trip, carrying 30 gigabytes, took about two days. The process added lengthy delays to the production of the films, which would go on to win multiple Academy Awards. More than a decade later, Canadians and businesses in the north know the director’s pain. Poor services and especially high prices are interfering with their ability to join the rest of the world’s burgeoning digital economy.

Canadian citizens are paying for Internet access, but Big Telecom isn't being completely open about the restrictions that they've been imposing. When Big Telecom was confronted about throttling Canadians' Internet connections last year, they made a promise to change their ways by this year's end. Read on for an overview of what the Canadian Gamers Organization has found out and how your Internet connection could be affected. To make the switch from Big Telecom to an independent provider in your area, visit OpenMedia.ca/Switch Blog authored by Teresa Murphy & Jason Koblovsky In 2011, the Canadian Gamers Organization (CGO) submitted a complaint on Internet throttling stating that the CRTC was not taking consumer interests to heart. Since then, we’ve made it clear that consumer rights were not adequately being protected by the Commission concerning its policies on Internet Traffic Management Practices (ITMPs).

A lobbyist group is pushing for Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiators to force Canada into adopting a 'termination' system that would cut off Internet access for users accused of breaking copyright laws. Join our campaign to stop the TPP's Internet trap at StopTheTrap.net and read more on this story at the Toronto Star website.