N E T N E U T R A L I T Y I S D E A D L O N G L I V E T H E O P E N I N T E R N E T

J O H N H A R R I S S T E V E N S O N U N I V E R S I T Y O F T O R O N T O I S C H O O L

1. Network neutrality?

2. Why the Internet isn’t now

and won’t be neutral

3. Open Internet

W H A T I S N E T W O R K N E U T R A L I T Y ?

“ N E T W O R K N E U T R A L I T Y ” ?

•  “Fast lane” and paid prioritization

•  Peering agreements, asymmetrical peering

•  Two-sided pricing, sponsored data

•  Government censorship

•  Tiered ISP pricing & ISP bandwidth caps

•  Service throttling: VoIP and video

•  “Cable model” tiered services

•  QoS for video and web apps

•  Broadcasting regulation jurisdiction

•  Geoblocking and territorial content rights

•  Content exclusivity

•  Wireless neutrality

•  Throttling of P2P traffic, blocking access to BitTorrent trackers

•  etc…

– T I M W U , 2 0 0 7

“Network neutrality is best defined as a network design principle. The idea is that a maximally useful

public information network aspires to treat all content, sites, and platforms equally. This allows

the network to carry every form of information and support every kind of application.”

– E D W H I T A C R E C E O S B C , 2 0 0 5

“We and the cable companies have made an investment and for a Google or Yahoo or Vonage

or anybody to expect to use these pipes [for] free is nuts!”

Tom Wheeler Chairman, Federal Communications Commission

A N O P E N I N T E R N E T

A N O P E N I N T E R N E T

1.  Focuses on rights of citizens and consumers, not just on network design.

2.  The full resources of the Internet and the means to operate on it are easily accessible to citizens and organizations.

3.  The domestic Internet connects to the networks of other countries, with few restrictions.

“…some measures are required to manage Internet traffic…”

“Where any [Internet traffic management practices] are employed, ISPs must be transparent about their

use…”

“ISPs must ensure that any ITMP they employ are not unjustly discriminatory nor unduly

preferential…”

T E L E C O M R E G U L A T O R Y P O L I C Y C R T C 2 0 0 9 - 6 5 7

C A N A D A ’ S O P E N I N T E R N E T

•  An open Internet is advantageous for Canada; regs are clear compared to the US.

•  Interconnection with US Internet creates opportunities and risks:

•  Netflix breaks Canadian broadcasting system

•  Privacy and surveillance by US and other entities

Canada’s open Internet is constantly being defined. Pay attention!

John Harris Stevenson University of Toronto iSchool john.stevenson@utoronto.ca Twitter: @tranquileye

T H A N K Y O U .