We won! Here are the top 3 ways Big Telecom will face financial penalties if they break the rules.

We won! We won! Our small team here at OM have been clinking our coffee mugs after this morning’s announcement of new powers that will allow the government to impose financial penalties on Big Telecom giants that break the rules and mistreat Canadians. And we’re talking BIG penalties: up to $10 million per infraction on a first offence, up to $15 million per infraction for subsequent offences. This is huge. The decision comes in response to a key request made by the hundreds of thousands of Canadians who participated in our crowdsourced Casting An Open Internet action plan. In the plan, we called on government to create powers that would allow them to level penalties against companies who violate rules designed to protect Canadian Internet users. And now, to uncover how this impacts you, please check out the list below:

Here are the Top 3 ways Big Telecom can now be penalized for mistreating Canadians.

1. ...For forcing you into an Internet slow lane.
   
   Whether they block websites, slow Netflix, or mark up the cost of competing content by 800%, they now face serious fines going forward if they don’t treat all our traffic equally over the networks (or, in geek speak, violated our ITMP rules).
   
   As the European Union and United States are currently racing towards potentially disastrous "net neutrality" rules, Canada’s already strong net neutrality rules just became stronger. This is a huge win. To keep the pressure up here in Canada, be sure to join the SaveOurNet campaign.

2. ...For mistreating Canadians.
   
   If the telecom giants like Canada’s Big Three (Bell, Rogers, and Telus) are caught abusing your monthly telecom bill, contracts, or are just plain lying about speeds – amongst many other forms of Big Telecom f**kery – then they will have to pay the price.
   
   These penalty powers could give serious “teeth” to the Wireless Code of Conduct we won last year – though exactly how remains to be seen. All this at a time when Shaw’s just announced a move to raise prices and slow services. We need action to fix our broken telecom market, and these penalties will be a powerful tool in doing so.

3. ...For blocking Canadians from new affordable, independent services.
   
   The government now has new tools to threaten companies like Bell, Rogers, and Telus if they are caught blocking Canadians from new independent services in order to continue price-gouging you and your family.
   
   This will be especially important when decision-makers listen to Canadians and create the fair open access rules for both wired and wireless Internet we are calling for together. You can learn more about this by joining our UnblockCanada.ca campaign today.

This win shows that James Moore has “checked off” another of the ten major policy asks we put forward when he first became Industry Minister back in July of 2013. These new powers for government to fine Big Telecom are great news for all who participated in our crowdsourced policy plans for wired and mobile Internet in Canada.

Together with other wins, such as the Wireless Code of Conduct, these new powers are a major step toward reining in our telecom giants. Now we just need the government not to shy away from imposing fines large enough to keep Big Telecom in line, so Canadians can experience the choice and affordability they deserve.

At the end of the day, this would have never happened without you. Thank you for all your support, hard work, and passion over the last few years. To stay in the fight, and keep informed for next steps, be sure to join us at UnblockCanada.ca.