OTTAWA and TORONTO – Another complaint from an unhappy Rogers Internet customer prompted the CRTC to question the company’s Internet traffic management practices (ITMPs), the third time in as many months.
In a letter dated February 23rd, the Commission asked Rogers to respond to a customer’s allegation that its “ITMP incorrectly identifies time sensitive traffic generated by inter-active games as P2P traffic, subjecting such traffic to the ITMP and rendering the games unusable”. Section 2009-657 of the Telecommunication Act dictates that ITMPs that result in a noticeable degradation of time sensitive audio or video traffic require prior Commission approval.
When contacted by Cartt.ca, Rogers’ VP of Communications Jan Innes confirmed that the company had received the letter, and said that it is “investigating the problem”. “If there is one, we will fix it”, she said via email on Friday. Last month, Rogers’ SVP of regulatory Ken Englehart emphatically denied allegations that the company throttles its downstream traffic, as reported by Cartt.ca.
The SaveOurNet.ca Coalition, which has publicly lobbied against ITMPs, said that this proves that the CRTC must conduct regular audits of ISPs’ traffic management practices, and “impose penalties for violations of their rules that go beyond asking for more transparency”.
“It’s clear that changes must be made”, said SaveOurNet co-founder Steve Anderson. “Internet openness regulations are in place, and still Big Telecom feels free to engage in discriminatory practices. It is time for policymakers to stop coddling big industry players, and begin to protect citizens’ communications interests.”
– Lesley Hunter
