Ottawal ON – Recently on Facebook Canadians have been exercising their right to organize in protest. Various “Stop the Meter Petition” groups have surfaced on the social media network and have been gaining momentum. These groups are forming against the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications (CRTC) decision, to allow Internet service providers to force usage-base internet billing on their consumers.
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Organizers are arguing that by allowing these major telecommunication companies to charge per Byte, that it will gouge the Canadian consumer in the future. Common sense would suggest that they’re right.
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It is hard to imagine how many bytes an average Canadian utilizes on a daily basis between Facebook and YouTube alone. Supporters have also outlined that by increasing the cost of the internet, it is directly restricting its use. It is understandable how this issue has picked up steam. The internet is a greatly used tool for everyone. It makes tasks such as communicating and researching to be done with ease. Is it right for something as powerful and useful as the internet to be restricted at all?
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OpenMedia.ca appears to be the driving force behind this movement as they have countless articles and updates on this topic. In their brief bio, this organization describes themselves as a non-partisan group committed to informing Canadians on communication issues such as this. Their tactics have been effective as their supporters have tentatively planned a protest on Parliament Hill for Saturday, February 5th. Already, hundreds of people have agreed to “attend”. Also, the Liberals have decided to take on this issue, as well as over 200,000 people have signed a petition which OpenMedia.ca organized.
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Now what do you think, as a society, should this be something of concern for us? Should we say nothing when enormous telecommunication companies search for new ways to increase their bottom line?
You can post your commments below.
