Net neutrality in Canada under siege: Bell implements “traffic shaping” service to throttle Internet access

You're absolutely right. The CRTC needs to be brought into play. There is no legislation protecting net neutrality in Canada, which means that what Bell and Rogers are doing - putting a slow chokehold on the internet - is legal. This is the pressure point. Canadians need to contact their politicians and demand regulation protecting net neutrality. Check out http://democraticmedia.ca/throttler for more info.

You are right in what you have said. I have had the same bad past with them all Bell, the CRTC, the Federal Consumer affairs, Jim Prentice MP, Stephem Harper MP, they are all still mostly just big liars, pretenders. They all should be fully held accountiable now as well

and now now many people on the net too they know the truth .. and it only makes them more upset against Bell and Stephen Harper

"CRTC Should Investigate Internet 'Traffic Shaping' The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) has asked the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to investigate the impact of "traffic shaping" by Internet service providers (ISPs) on Canadian Internet users. "The National Union has become increasingly concerned about the issue of network neutrality and Canada's lack of action to protect consumers and producers of Internet material," NUPGE president James Clancy said in a letter to CRTC chairman Konrad Von Finckenstein. "This past week it was reported that Bell Canada, without advance warning of its intention, will be "throttling" Internet access for Sympatico users who utilize file sharing software during peak hours," Clancy said. "Bell's reluctant admission of its plans follows Rogers' equally hesitant partial disclosure that it is traffic shaping." "On behalf of the National Union of Public and General Employees, one of Canada's largest trade unions," Clancy wrote, "I am asking the CRTC to conduct an investigation into these practices and the implications for Canadian consumers. "The National Union has become increasingly concerned about the issue of network neutrality and this past week it was reported that Bell Canada, without advance warning of its intention, will be "throttling" Internet access for Sympatico users who utilize file sharing software during peak hours. Bell's reluctant admission of its plans follows Rogers' equally hesitant partial disclosure that it is traffic shaping. "I would point out that the file sharing software, for example BitTorrent, is legal and there are many legitimate uses for it. Indeed, this past week the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation announced it was making episodes of Canada's Next Great Prime Minister, free and without restriction, for download using BitTorrent. This means that those Canadians, who are Bell or Rogers Internet service subscribers, wishing to download this show from their public broadcaster will be hampered in their efforts. "It is important to note that Bell and Rogers are not the first cases in Canada of an Internet service provider interfering with customer access to web content. Perhaps the most notorious example is that of Telus blocking access to the website of its striking workers (along with hundreds of other websites). "Our neighbours to the south are taking this form of interference in Internet service very seriously. The Federal Communications Commission in the United States is conducting an investigation into the blocking of legal peer-to-peer file sharing services by Comcast and other Internet service providers. This follows a complaint and petition filed by members of the SavetheInternet.com Coalition and a number of Internet law scholars from leading American universities. "The actions of the Coalition were in response to an article that appeared in the Associated Press about Comcast's actions. After initial denials that they had engaged in blocking Internet traffic, they eventually admitted to having done so. "Comcast is acting in a manner that violates the reasonable right of Internet users to access the software and content of their choice. The company is blocking legal peer-to-peer file sharing networks, such as BitTorrent and Gnutella, and business applications such as Lotus Notes. This is even in violation of Comcast's own Internet Policy Statement. "These Internet Service Providers are, with little or no public accountability, implementing measures that will discriminate against the use of legal software for legitimate uses. This is unacceptable. The potential for violations of the privacy rights of users is clear. The continued silence on these matters by the CRTC and the Canadian government violates the trust the Canadian people have placed in you. "On behalf of the 340,000 members of the National Union I am asking the CRTC to conduct an investigation into those Internet Service Providers who are utilizing these discriminatory practices. Such an investigation should be public and open to input from Canadians. "The Internet promises a great deal of benefit to Canadians. Historically our government has made a considerable investment into developing and implementing communications technologies, including the Internet. The CRTC needs to act to ensure the intention of this public investment is realized - an Internet that is open and accessible to all Canadians." http://www.mediacastermagazine.com/issues/ISArticle.asp?id=82157&issue=03312008

Bell (and other ISP that do the same thing) need to be fined in the other of billion of dollars so that the message is clear: ISP have no legal right of any kind to CONTROL what i do with the bandwidth i paid for. Bell is now a official criminal company that nobody should ever do business with." " A user that hogs all of his subscribed bandwidth 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, is simply using the bandwidth he purchased.

Net Neutrality is Necessary and the federal Conservatives, and all Big Businesses like Bell, they now all be ashamed of themselves for there too often now bogus presentations and false opposition to Net Neutrality.

Big Business and the feds they wrongfully all have to do is too often use its trickery to preserve the "precious bandwidth." and relatedly the more profits solely for them.

Ironically Bell and it's false Conservative Government supporters do support all deregulation of the Internet business but Bell Sympatico itself now insists on capping, regulating their supplied Internet services. How contradictory and hypocritical can they all personally now be here too? They want it both ways, deregulated and regulated as well, as long as it produces more profits for big corporations and clearly wrongfully, immorally too to hell with all of the citizens, Consumers, their rights, and any fairness and justice too.

The Federal Conservative are clearly still wrongfully kowtowing to the wishes of the big telcos — mega corporations that have no real interest in progress, just profits. "Let's do what they say; they know what's best for us." For Big Business still seems to pays the best bribes to civil and public servants, politicians so they too often rather do heed to them? And yes unacceptably also "These are the governmental bean counters, our toothless watchdogs now, who have been wrongfully silenced even, who have done a cost analysis on even "slamming" — changing a customer's long-distance telephone service without his consent — to determine whether the fines for this illegal practice are greater than the profits." They're wrongfully still not interested in the customer and they too not just big business have all to be watched like a hawk." As we all have noticed? Thus rightfully " I have to assume that what they want is always going to be bad for the customer and bad for the nation.There is no evidence to the contrary. If there is, show me."

"Net neutrality does not keep the ISPs from selling me a 10-megabit-per-second connection at a higher price than a 1-Mbps connection. It does not kill competition. What it does is allow me to get what I want at the speed that I paid for rather than have some socialists née corporate apparatchiks." help to make buggy business like Bell Sympatico supposedly get more richer, to falsely now cover up also the reality that Bell is also too often incompetent, mismanaged, ineffective, too costly to run now too , so it wrongfully demands and gets social welfare, protection from the federal Conservative government of all things too.

Time the New Federal Conservatives rightfully also did stand up for all of the Canadian citizens who elected them and not solely for big business too.

The Net Neutrality issue also involves here the contradictory, different management sales marketing approach of corporations like Goggle versus Microsoft. Microsoft clearly want to take it all, to have a monopoly, to screw all of the user for everything they have, while Goggle instead now makes their money from those who can afford to pay for it the most., other big businesses over the ordinary citizen, consumers, through adverting fees, and so it is no wonder the Goggle approach has been more profitable over Microsoft in the email business now as well.. yes even now Microsoft can and needs to learn from Goggle too. So can Bell.
The ISP providers are also now getting a reputation for playing dirty and they too will next have to spend loads of advertising dollars to try to deny this earned image too, like the Conservatives now too. "March 04 9:39 AM
"U.S. lawmakers introduce modified toothless 'net neutrality' bill while the Canadian Government sits on it's behind doing nothing good again.

A bill that seeks to enshrine the principle that all Internet traffic should be treated equally was introduced before the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday.Massachusetts Democratic Representative Edward Markey, chairman of the House energy and commerce committee's subcommittee on telecommunications and the Internet, introduced the bill to promote the principle of "net neutrality," arguing it is needed to prevent network providers from shaping traffic on the Internet or otherwise favouring one website over another. The new bill is contains guidelines but no new regulations because the watchdog is being muzzlled falsey again by the big business and their Conservatives supporters. The Internet Freedom Preservation Act, co-sponsored by Republican representative Chip Pickering of Mississippi, requires the Federal Communications Commission to assess whether broadband providers are "blocking, thwarting or unreasonably interfering" with consumers' rights to access, send, receive or offer content.

Bell Sympatico Canada systematically disrespecting now still all rules, laws, regulations in Canada to start of with even net neutrality is always still unacceptable now too.

However, the telecom companies in Canada and in the U.S. arguing controlling data transmissions over the Internet would allow them to ensure quality of service and encourage investment in broadband networks is just another cover up lie for the fact they these rather cheapskates next are not keeping their original service provider promises to their customers

So much for the PM Stephen Harper's "promise of 'accountability". "The fact is that an authoritarian dictator such as Harper is mostly concerned with keeping control, not on running government " effectively, or sensibly is also unacceptable. The PM is really dreaming if he thinks he next can win a majority government as a result too.
February 17 9:34 AM
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A great constant high speed Internet service, or problem plagued one rather? Did you pay for an high speed unlimited download, constant, reliable Internet services from Rogers, Videotron, Telus, Bell Sympatico, or what ever? and you clearly you still do know that your ISP, Internet service provider's system is slow, sluggish, constantly downed, and they does not give you even their original promised high speed rather? Are most of these ISP companies the same, or what they are all good or all bad too?

Well be of good cheer, for you likley here are not alone too, their are likley now hundreds of thousands of persons even like you. Complaining now too.

So what can you personally really do good about any of it now too?

Well you first now call supposedly your Canadian Bell Sympatico technical representative or what ever, rightfully and next likely they will refer you an supposedly appropriate Internet site, send you supposedly appropriate emails or you will by phone be told any of the following -
1: The problem is with your Computer operating system, you might have to contact Microsoft for it might be defective. But if that was the case none of the programs on your computer would be working firstly.
2: The problem is in your memory or hard drive cache, or your actual memory capacity, management of it, but you have already rebooted your computer, deleted the temporary files and it does not help.
3: The problem is with the much too many spyware on your computer, but you already have a good spyware checker, and you do a weekly regualr maintenace on your computer too.
4: The problem is likely a virus on your computer causing all these problems, but you already have a good virus checkertoo.
5: The problem might be with you home, office internal phone line connections, or the related cable connections and filters, and so they may if you are lucky send you a technician to look at it.. they sent you 6 of them in one year even.. it does not help basically.
6: The problem might be with your modem itself, so they next do send you another one, and next another one and next another one too.. 6 of them..
7: The problem might be in your inappropriate initialization, configuration of your modem, or your emailing software and they will help you on line to reconfigure it.
and none of this it does not help you? But why?
- Maybe you just run out of luck and the representative you dealt with is firstly totally incompetent, as it is likely in half of the cases to start of with, and the representative they falsely do next object to you for your raised your voice in protest, and so they does even hang up on you. They do not want to admit they are incompetent, basically stupid to you for their boss, or another department, might find out if he the boss does not know it already?

- So you do immediately call back and ask to speak to the manager, the Bioss himself and likely next also find out he knows nothing about computers, or even about bitt torrents too?

- So next your complaint phone call is now eventaully transferred to the Bell Sympatico accounting department, but they still do want to know why you are talking to them? for they know nothing about these problmes of yours, nor especially about the Internet, and they really cannot help you.

-Finally you next are even of you are lucky passed to the main Bell executive expediting office itself, and yes they finally do promise to look at it, to help you, but firstly to you they complain to you they are over booked and under staffed and they next do promise to call you back, days, weeks, months later and hey still have not called you back too..

So what do you do next?

Maybe the main Internet service problem is not in your home or office, but God forbid it may be at Bell Sympatico itself? your ISP? Their respective, representatives technicians, equipment, services too . It is likley next generally a long drawn out affair before this or any of it is or was admitted.

Likkely -
1: They your ISP have been, are cutting back on your email capacity and
2: They you ISP have been, are cutting back on your download speed?

but now why would they even try to do that?

What they have over advertised their capabilities, and are unable to meet most of the customer demands on their services to start of with anyway?

Why? Firstly to make more profit, money and also to try to save spending their money installing any more needed high speed lines, because they do not have high speed fibber cable in most of Canada to start off, and high speed is only available what 4.5 km from the center of most Bell centers, in most of major big cities, and for the rest of you, they seem to only pretend only they are giving you high speed on their old, definitely inadequate phone lines.

But did you firstly even check your actual download speeds being delivered by your ISP to you at any of the any reliable "Internet speed test" sites available on the net? Use a search engine to find them, try them all if you have to too. or try http://www.speedtest.net/results.php

So next you do find out that your download speed as at now being 1 megs, or 2.2 megs but not the 6, 7 or 16 your had been promised and had paid for? Wow what a revelation?

Of course you immediately next do call your ISP, or Bell Sympatico technical representatives or even the Bell management and they assure you that you have the original promised speed, but what else did you expect them to tell you, to truthfully tell you that they have not been keeping their high speed promises to you and many others the last many years? Now you got to be dreaming, or joking? if you think they might firstly tell you the whole truth, even if one honest person now next of five at Bell admits to it, the other 4/5 will likely next still deny it.

Or worse than all that Bell Sympatico now says to you that if you enter now into a new, higher cost, higher speed contract with them they will overcome all of your Internet problems immediately? But can you even next trust them to do that if they have not kept their old promises to you firstly still too? Read the fine print on the new contract , many people wgo did not next found out they had lost their unlimited download capabilities.

Such above Problem ISP services has been the reality of many persons reality in my neighborhood

So next you finally do talk to your knowledgeable, technical, nerdy friends, others and ask them what you should about it next?
1 One group says you should just forget the wool thing, that they had ripped you off all these years now too, and just pay the 100 cancellation fees and go to a new Internet service provider, and what makes them thing it will be any better next there too?

2 The second group says try their new higher speed contract, likely with the same old problem behavior

3 The third group says fight back, and what is the best way to do this
- Write a letter to bell with a copy to your what useless too elected officials, Consumer Affairs Ministers, and copies to the major news editors asking your ISP or Bell to respect their past contract agreement with you and also to give you a credit for your past inadequate services too ASAP. Immediately too.

- Register in writing a complain with a proper regulating body..

So now you win your battle, get your original promised high speed Internet services finally, and they do give you your original promised download, speed, give you a credit as well for 6 months free Internet service, and you are on the ball, rolling high. But for how long? What the right hand gift the left hand can take away?

A month later you sadly, furiously do discover they your IP broke their agreed upon past promises to you, they even cut back on their high speed delivery to,,, etc.,

So what do you do now?

Repeat the whole process... or move on? It is your choice still.

Are you looking for a Cable or DSL, phone Internet service? First Search for the Internet providers available in you area, and also do ask your neighbors what is their experience concerning their Broadband service. Ask about:
1. The “Speed” that they actually get.
2. Down time experience.
3. Speed Capping, and port blocking.
4. Tech support. In a case that the service is not obtained from the owner of the system (I.e. the Internet provider is not your regular Cable or Telephone provider). It is very important to ask how Tech support works. In many situations the Tech. on site response can be very slow since your provider might need the actual line owner to provide the service.

Here is another truth that should have been dealt with a decade ago by the governments, governess too. Bell Sympatico's poor Internet speeds, false, misleading adverting.. "Anyone can deliver the Internet. Only Bell brings you Total Internet. New Sympatico Total Internet service from Bell gives you everything you need for a complete Internet experience, including: Consistently fast access that's never shared 2 Consistently fast access that's never shared Your Internet access is yours alone, so you'll enjoy consistently fast speed, without frustrating slowdowns, even during peak hours. We have one of the largest fibre optic networks in Canada, and we continue to bring this leading-edge technology to even more homes, improving your Internet experience." http://www.bell.ca/shopping/PrsShpPromo_Int_Total.page? I have paid for and rightfully expected as promised a steady reliable high speed Internet system since 2001 but I have not received it for most of the time. I got the opposite."Part of the problem that the Sympatico division is having, is that it appears to have over estimated the distance over which its network can operate effectively. Company policy states that high-speed service only operates effectively for clients that are located within four and a half kilometers from a Bell central office. But according to one Bell employee, many customers that are close to, but not over, the distance limit are experiencing slow downloads speeds and difficulty logging on at peak periods. So why is Sympatico selling the service, when it can't deliver? " peter@peterdiekmeyer.com "We have one of the largest fibre optic networks in Canada", is also misleading because 90 percent of Canada's geographical area cannot have this access, and that means that at least 50 percent of Bell Sympatico high speed Internet customers also do not have this access but are supposedly paying for it..These simple, clear issue should be resolved even in one day even by Consumer Affairs and not in months, or years..

Real, enforced Consumer protection is needed against the too often lying, crooked Internet service provider's and their personnel as well..

Bell Sympatico as I have detailed to all now many times, and undeniably too, they have over advertised their capabilities, and are unable to meet most of the customer demands on their services to start of with anyway. Why? Firstly to make more profit, money and also to try to save spending their money installing any more needed high speed lines, because they do not have high speed fibber cable in most of Canada to start off, and high speed is only available what 4.5 km from the center of most Bell centers, in most of major big cities, and for the rest of you, they seem to only pretend only they are giving you high speed on their old, definitely inadequate phone lines.

Please note that any traffic management by you now on any of my Internet downloads is illegal for I do for many years do have a Bell high speed unlimited Internet download contract with you. Any changes to it would require my mutual approval firstly tool. Your latest Internet management techniques have illegal violated your past contract agreement and you have to stop doing that or face a real penalty for not honoring our agree upon original contract by law now too. as far as the P@P usage it is none of your business firstly.. what I do with my computer on the net as well but firstly you u did not reply adequately to me for my Bit torrent software never blocked my email as I had told you before firstly so why do you say it does now supposedly? how would you know that? Rather you are the e one who reduced my email capacity and download speeds illegally now as well firstly. Correct it immediately or else you will face the negative real consequences for breaking falsely my contract with you. Bell even does not do now traffic management on all if it's commercial customers now too... so do not do it on my services as well.

Like I have also now said - Bit torrent downloads firstly are fully legal in Canada, for me and all Canadians by law. Now again besides as I have already stated to you what you Bell Sympatico now today by your regulations are illegally regulating my unlimited download contract with you and that is still firstly illegal, a clear violation of my unlimited download contract with you.

But Bell's action in capping any of my Bit torrent downloads are still illegal, for you are illegally, without my prior consent and approval also falsely regulating my unlimited download contract with you . If Bell you are unable to meet your promised, paid for customers' Internet service demands, than do spend more capitalization money from your earrings to insure your contractual obligations are being met in Canada for all of your customers, me included.

So now why is Bell Sympatico falsely, illegally reneging now on my unlimited Internet download services, unlimited email contract with them? The reality is that Bell Sympatico are no longer managing even their email business but have delegated it too, passed it onto Microsoft. And as Microsoft itself admits, contrary to you Yahoo, Microsoft email service is a losing proposition and so Microsoft is now trying desperately to put the squeeze on it's users to falsely try it get more money from them now and this is still also unacceptable. I like Microsoft but not always what they do.

Had you read all of my emails that the news editors, Canada's key politicians do get a copy of regularly too I have been talking to Bell for the last 15 months.. you would see that they are the biggest liars in the world and they cannot be trusted to keep their promises unless you punish, shame them publically. On Bell's internet capping Bell spokesman Jason Laszlo on Friday lied and he reiterated the company's position and he said there has been no backlash from customers; and what Bell they cannot read too what the whole world is reading on the net? Bell is certainly guilty of false advertising, failure to deliver service as promised, breach of contract, and unlawful contract revision. Bell for years now been saying in their advertising things like "consistently fast speeds", "unlimited downloads", and "your connection is not shared with anyone" I too have Bell's "unlimited" high-speed account, which was acquired a number of years ago. Bell on top of that even often has tried switch me to higher speeds when they cannot deliver their original promised speed to me too.. And since last fall, they've also been throttling my 6 MB connection on BT downloads . Uploads are also capped, and why is this contract breech all that STILL WRONGFULLY occurring to me? I know often firsthand the last 15 months that Bell lies, Bell Sympatico is a Big Liar but I do not accept any of it.. Now why should I be surprised by Bell being still such big liars, when in Canada most cops I have dealt with too, most lawyers I dealt with were liars, and so clearly were the old and new Conservative government ministers, prime ministers, and the yes also many Liberals now as well. Now why should Bell Canada unacceptably now also be any different as well..in fact I as a Bell Sympatico customer too had sent to Bell executive copies of the same related email you got, and I have been for the last 9 months openly complaining about Bell's false capping of me too ."Should ISPs Be Able to Slow Down Heavy 'Net Users?" Recently, it has been brought to the media's attention that several ISPs have been using back-end techniques in an effort to slow down heavy-bandwidth activities that people might perform on the Internet. This includes, most importantly, downloading and transmitting large files, like movies. Is it right of the ISPs to do this Most online Comments for a start rightfully do not Support BELL in this AT ALL... " What bothers me is the secrecy involved. Imagine this occurring in any other industry. Perhaps you buy a dozen donuts, but find only 6 in the box. When you complain, the vendor states that they had to reduce "a dozen" to 6 in order to keep the price the same, and that it's perfectly legal for them to adjust terms of sale without your notice. When I've paid for something, I expect to receive it. If terms of sale change, I expect to be informed. Specifically, if ISPs sell me bandwidth, they should not be able to control what I do with it without my knowledge. And where is the line drawn? Would the situation really be any different if they were "shaping" HTTP traffic? I'm sure everyone's speed would improve if people weren't looking at so many damn web pages, so perhaps they should slow that down too. I can understand the major ISPs perspective, but if you can no longer sell what you are promising, secretly adjusting terms of sale is unacceptable. If this were an older, more established industry, the ISPs would already be in court over this. I am not normally one to suggest regulation, but as Internet access becomes an essential service, some regulation does appear to be required." I have to do a lot of screaming to get decent download speeds from Bell, and for how long next too? and why is that acceptable?

People that do not like Bell can go elshewhere. We do not need the bussiness of internet hogs.
Good ridance.

For years, Bell has been rubbing its impunity our faces...

1) Virtually removing itself from public exposure.
No more administration offices to walk into. Front line employees are expected to take all complaints and keep them from escalating to anyone higher up.

2) Degrading and INSULTING Customer Service Practices.
Automated, central call handling systems that give the customer very few options to contact someone qualified. Customers spend inordinate, ridiculous amounts of time on the phone getting nowhere - ending up insulted and frustrated. Complete denial of any responsibility for problems at the Bell end, and complete disregard for any responsibility to the customer.

3) Turning complaints back on the customer.
Don't ask Bell to investigate phone/network abuse from another provider (as required by CRTC/CCTS and the law). Don't ask Bell not to spam you. Don't ask Bell to give you a straight answer. Don't ask Bell for the usual estimates, timelines, or anything else that goes along with contracting requests. Bell will tell you, flat-out, that what you're asking is either your fault, not their responsibility, not an option, or (and this one's the winner) cause to simply end the conversation!

4) Vague, ambiguous, illegal, strange contracts.
Poorly-worded contracts that say NOTHING, and are only constructed for Bell to "interpret" as needed by a situation. Bell constantly edits these contracts, without customer involvement or renegotiation, and never holds up their own part of the agreement anyway. (Example: "Unlimited" Account)

5) Now using 3rd parties outside of Canada.
It's bad enough you can't get satisfactory service from Bell within Canada, but now we're getting virtually no English-speaking assistance, with no authority or understanding to take care of the damnedest issues.

So, I guess the throttling should be no surprise to us at this point. But, where is the CRTC and the CCTS during all of this??

It seems to me that the whole "deregulation" thing just resulted in Bell having nobody to answer to, and free to do as it pleases.

Every Bell issue I brought up with the CRTC got the same response - "You need to contact the CCTS."

And every attempt to involve the CCTS on the same got me another response - "The complaint does not fit the mandate of the CCTS. You need to contact the CRTC."

Just great!