Vidéotron’s Unlimited Music hangs in the balance
GATINEAU – Is selecting and offering free music services to wireless customers a form of net neutrality-bruising gatekeeping, or an innovative way to win and keep happy customers?
The CRTC will let us know Thursday when its decision from the November hearing into what the Regulator termed “differential pricing practices” (DPP) is announced at 4 p.m. ET.
According to Quebecor Media Inc., Unlimited Music is simply a marketing instrument which helps grow its wireless subscriber base (especially among younger users). Essentially, QMI’s Vidéotron has chosen a number of music services to pass through for free to its customers where it doesn’t impact their data plans. The company says the service doesn’t contravene the Commission’s Internet Traffic Management Practices (ITMP) framework just because it bills different data at different rates, nor does Unlimited Music run afoul of section 36 of the Telecom Act because discounting data is neither managing nor influencing it.
Instead of just ruling on Vidéotron’s service when a complaint was filed, the Commission decided to open the issue up to a full hearing, which ran for five days in November. Cartt.ca was there each day.
Some argued that the Commission shouldn’t make new, overarching rules on this because it may over-reach and inhibit innovation – and therefore should continue to examine such things on a case-by-case basis as they arise in complaints, while others said there should be special rules for vertically integrated companies, or some sort of net neutrality code of conduct or differential pricing practices guidelines.
Rogers, however, called for it to be banned outright, saying everything should be subject to data charges. Bell and Facebook argued in favour of DPP.
We’ll see this afternoon what the Commission has decided. Cartt.ca will be there to take part in an embargoed technical briefing at 3:30 PM and will file as soon as possible after that embargo is lifted at 4 o’clock.
Screen cap of CRTC chairman Jean-Pierre Blais from CPAC.ca
