Obama Administration to provide citizens with faster, cheaper Internet while Canada falls behind
Internet advocates celebrate Obama’s move, and point to it as the type of action required to get Canada’s Internet rates and speeds on par with global counterparts.
“Today’s news should be an inspiration for our government in Canada. We’re thrilled to see President Obama advocate for these forward-looking measures to ensure everyone can access affordable, high-speed Internet,” said OpenMedia.ca’s campaign managerJosh Tabish. “These common-sense steps will overturn unfair rules that U.S. telecom giants established through years of lobbying, which block new affordable Internet services.”
Tabish continued: “Now it’s time for Canada’s government to take similar steps to rein in Big Telecom up here. If President Obama can take action, why can’t Stephen Harper push the CRTC and Industry Canada to do the same? For too long, Canadians have been held hostage by some of the highest prices in the industrialized world for horrible service. Our decision-makers need to empower communities to improve speeds and lower prices for Canadian Internet users.”
Canada’s unambitious target of 5 Mbps broadband by 2019 is far slower than targets set by our a global counterparts:
The United States plans to connect over 100 million households to 100 Mbps broadband by 2020. The U.S. FCC has also established 25 Mbps as the minimum broadband speed for all U.S. residents.
The E.U. is aiming for all Europeans to have access to 30Mbps broadband networks by 2020.
Australia’s National Broadband Network will see most Australians have access to 25 Mbps speeds by 2016.
Argentina has set a target for 97% of its citizens to have 10 Mbps access for this year.
Thousands (and growing everyday) Canadians have called for the government to rein in unblock Canadians from more affordable independent digital services at https://UnblockCanada.ca
OpenMedia.ca has a crowdsourced action plan to enable more affordable digital services that can be found at: https://openmedia.ca/plan/action-plan
About OpenMedia.ca
OpenMedia.ca is an award-winning community-based organization that safeguards the possibilities of the open Internet. We work toward informed and participatory digital policy by engaging hundreds of thousands of people in protecting our online rights.
Through campaigns such as StopTheMeter.ca and StopSpying.ca, OpenMedia.ca has engaged over half-a-million Canadians, and has influenced public policy and federal law.
About OpenMedia’s telecom campaigns
OpenMedia.ca has campaigned for years for action to improve choice and lower prices in Canada’s telecom market. Recent examples of unfair practices by Canada’s Big Three include:
Suing the government for passing positive customer protection rules.
Blocking Canadian wireless provider Ting from being able to offer affordable services in Canada.
Unleashing a massive misleading PR campaign against greater wireless choice
Engaging in “unjust discrimination” against independent provider Wind Mobile.
Bell’s court challenge against new cellphone roaming and tower-sharing rules to improve choice for Canadians.
More Information
Download OpenMedia.ca and CIPPIC's joint wholesale wireless submission to the CRTC (PDF)
In 2007 the Conservative government made a promise to reserve key spectrum assets for new entrants. Source: Reuters
For an explanation of why your high telecom bill has nothing to do with Canada's size, check out this article by OpenMedia.ca's Catherine Hart.
Canada’s wireless industry is overwhelmingly dominated by Bell, Telus, and Rogers. Source: The Globe and Mail
Recent independent reports confirm that Canadians pay some of the highest prices in the world for telecom service. Source: OECD 2013 Communications Outlook
Ben Klass: “I am Canadian, a reply to Bell’s Open Letter”
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Contact
Josh Tabish
Campaigns Manager
OpenMedia
(778) 990-1218
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