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CRTC Vice-Chairman: “What Is So Undemocratic About Allowing a Few Companies to Control the Internet?”

Phillip Dampier July 12, 2011 Canada, Data Caps, Editorial & Site News, Public Policy & Gov't 3 Comments

Pentefountas

Stop the Cap! is following this week’s extensive hearings into Internet Overcharging in Canada by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).  The debate into Bell’s attempt to mandate usage-based billing for -every- provider in Canada, regardless of whether they are owned or operated by Bell, reached a new level of absurdity this morning when a Conservative appointee to the CRTC, Tom Pentefountas — the vice-chairman of the commission — asked this question to an astonished panel headed by Openmedia.ca, a consumer group fighting usage-based billing:

“What is so undemocratic about allowing a few companies to control the Internet?”

Pentefountas was openly hostile at times against Openmedia, questioning their membership, their funding, and whether they had a “self-interest” in the fight.  They do — consumers, a concept that evidently escapes the very Big Telecom-friendly new commissioner, appointed by the government of Stephen Harper.

Yesterday, much of the hearing was focused on Bell’s defense of UBB, and we noted Mirko Bibic’s increasing discomfort as the Bell lobbyist came under increasing scrutiny and hard questioning that he never experienced during earlier hearings (those that led to the CRTC’s approval of UBB).  Now that the public (and higher government officials) are watching and listening, what used to be a non-confrontational experience is today sounding increasingly skeptical of the arguments for UBB by many commissioners.

We’ll have audio archives of the hearings available here when they are published online.  They help build the record of carrier arguments for UBB, independent findings which call out those arguments, and the opposition to UBB and why flat rate broadband is important to the knowledge-based economy of North America.

There will be hurdles to overcome, starting with confronting the attitudes of commissioners like Mr. Pentefountas, who evidently does not understand the implications of a few corporate entities controlling Canada’s Internet.

Follow live coverage of the CRTC hearings here.

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jordan
jordan
13 years ago

What is so undemocratic about allowing a few companies to control the Internet?”

what an asshole this guy is !!!!
words cannot describe my disgust.

paul
paul
13 years ago

Pentefountas, and the Harper lead Con government for that matter are don’t care what so ever about the little guy, joe public… they are their to serve big business and make the rich ritcher. the Harper and con motto “screw the poor”.

Shrek
Shrek
13 years ago

So, you think he compares to a body part? I don’t believe he has the cababilty to be other than a nice looking properly groomed puppet. To sheild us from the real people who probably represent your comment to a much greater degree. These corporations are not competing with each other, they are competing with us. the image and marketing spin is a facade. For public image only. behind the coporate closed doors they shake hands. By concense they win. Because of our need, there business model is based on “We can charge whatever we want, becasue we can” The… Read more »

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