The CRTC Wants Your Internet

So the CRTC is going to look, again, at regulating 'new media'. If you are involved, at all, in new media this is almost as frightening as Canada Revenue announcing they are going to fix your car, or Canada Post telling you they can deliver your baby. For those of us who have spent years building the internet up as an alternative to main stream media the CRTC deciding to regulate it.

First of all, it is scary anytime a government body decides to regulate the internet. Regulating content on the internet is very difficult to do. Even China, which has massive firewalls built around the entire country to control content is having trouble. Secondly, the CRTC has recently been giving the impression that it exists to look after the interests of private corporations and not the public interest it was created to serve. It's recent decision on the Canadian Television Fund and it's decision to allow more commercial advertising in programs while broadcasters are already making record profits being cases in point.

So, while it is troubling to hear of a government body that wants to regulate the internet, it is even more troubling if that government body has clearly demonstrated that it's private profits and not the public good that they are worried about. This is definitely one to keep an eye on, especially concerning it's implications for Net Neutrality.