GATINEAU, QC – The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) is calling on the CRTC to “enshrine the principle of net neutrality”, saying that the Internet must be kept “free from interference by big service providers” in order for Canadian culture to succed.
“All Internet users must be treated equally, regardless of what content they are sending or receiving or whether their ISP is a big or small player”, said national executive director Stephen Waddell, in a statement. “Equal, unfettered access to the Internet is fundamental to the future of not only our broadcasting and telecom systems, but our health as a democratic country.”
The organization appeared at the CRTC’s hearings on Internet traffic management hearings Wednesday, telling the Commission that net neutrality is of particular concern to audio-visual performers because their work is being increasingly distributed on the Internet, and video is the type of Internet traffic frequently affected by ‘throttling’ due to its large file sizes.
“Discriminatory traffic throttling diminishes the range of distribution options for Canadian performers and degrades the quality of the Internet as a content distribution platform”, ACTRA’s statement read. “With increasing broadcaster concentration, ACTRA is also concerned that ISPs will discriminate in favour of their affiliated companies’ content”.
