OpenMedia.ca Commends Citizen for Filing Petition with Parliament

The effort to overturn metered Internet decision points to widespread public discontent

January 28, 2011 – The group behind the 80,000 strong Stop The Meter campaign commends Montreal resident, Jean François Mezei, who filed a formal petition with the Governor in Council late Wednesday night.

Mezei’s submission is a response to the recent Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications (CRTC) decision to allow large incumbent Internet service providers (ISPs) to force usage-based billing (Internet metering) onto their customers, and the customers of their independent competitors.

"If the 80,000+ who signed our petition weren't enough, this detailed citizen submission is another signal of the widespread public discontent concerning the imposition of Internet metering," said Steve Anderson, OpenMedia.ca’s founder.

“We at OpenMedia.ca hope that our petition, and the tens of thousands of citizens who have signed it, make it clear which side of this issue the government should come down on,” Anderson continued. “We will continue to focus our efforts on educating and empowering Canadians, and supporting the popular dissent against Internet metering, so that the government will understand that the public is up in arms about the issue.

"This truly is an issue with a few monopolistic telecom giants on one side, and the rest of the Canada on the other."

The NDP has already come out against Internet metering and OpenMedia.ca is hopeful the other parties will soon follow suit.

OpenMedia.ca is encouraging citizens to continue to spread the word about Internet metering, and to sign the petition at http://www.StopTheMeter.ca.

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Contact
Lindsey Pinto
Communications Manager, OpenMedia.ca
778-238-7710
[email protected]

About OpenMedia.ca
OpenMedia.ca is a national, non-partisan, non-profit organization working to advance and support an open and innovative communications system in Canada. Our primary goal is to increase public awareness and informed participation in Canadian media, cultural, information, and telecommunication policy formation.

About Stop The Meter
In October, Canadians were outraged by the news that the CRTC had decided to allow Bell and other big Internet service providers (ISPs) to impose new fees on independent ISPs – usage-based billing. Now every Internet user in Canada is likely to feel the sting of a less affordable Internet, and a less competitive Internet service market. Recognizing the importance of this issue, OpenMedia.ca launched the Stop The Meter campaign.

Since its inception, this multi-platform petition, based at http://www.StopTheMeter.ca and in French at http://openmedia.ca/compteur, become a record breaker and a game changer. Over 80,000 names have now been added to the website, Facebook, Twitter, and in print.

Past Press Releases about Internet Metering
See: http://openmedia.ca/press