Impressions of the Net Neutrality Rally.

(First published on IT World Canada blog)

I was downtown early so I could sit outside the Parliament Pub across from Parliament Hill and read my morning e-Mail via the OGWifi Hotspot. I noticed a growing number of people who looked like they were in uniforms around the flame, so I headed over. There were many people wearing TekSavvy hats, but it turns out from conversations with Rocky Gaudrault of TekSavvy Solutions Inc. that some of these were staff, but many were happy customers that purchased and wore company garb.

Most of the speakers said what I would have expected them to say, as someone who had been hearing from these organizations for quite some time. Their message at the microphone was consistent with their messages on their websites and other speeches.

It was the politicians that offered something to think about.

I found Charlie Angus (Timmins–James Bay NDP MP) interesting in that he brought up other NDP colleges to stand with him as he spoke, and there were many other members of the NDP caucus in the crowd. This is clearly an issue that they are making their own as a caucus, and there is a plan to table a private members bill in the House of Commons today. As always, Mr Angus was very passionate about an issue that he has done quite a bit of thinking and speaking about.

A little while after the main speeches were over, and some of the media had left, Mauril Bélanger (Ottawa Vanier Liberal MP) came out to offer the Liberal party position. I missed the beginning (was being interviewed by Robin Browne of ConsciousImages), but what I did hear sounded convoluted and based on a very different understanding of the issues. Mr Bélanger kept speaking about the “owners of the pipes” and how they should be allowed to manage their network. He only expressed concern when those “owners of the pipes” were also owners of broadcast undertakings, and thus would have a more obvious (to him) conflict of interest.

He seemed unaware that the issue that sparked this rally and the involvement of real ISPs like TekSavvy, as well as CAIP which represents ISPs, was when the companies managing the regulated last mile connections (phone and cable companies) were inspecting and managing the traffic to and from *someone elses* customers. This wasn’t about someone managing their own network, but imposing management on someone elses network.

It is highly debatable whether the phone and cable companies can legitimately be considered the “owners of the pipes” in question given they have been given privileged right-of-way access to put those “pipes” below and above public and private property. This part of the network is a natural monopoly, and it makes no more sense to have every communications company run their own last-mile pipes as it does to have ever commercial entity to run their own separate roads to our homes.

There were many people there with microphones and cameras, so anyone who was not there will have a chance to hear for themselves what was said. I am disappointed in what I heard from Mr. Bélanger, someone who I have met many times over the years to talk about technology policy issues as he was my MP before I moved to Ottawa South. I hope that this is just the beginning of the conversation with the Liberal caucus, and not their final word on these issues.