Internet complaints spike in Canada

Article content

By Bradley Bouzane

An apparent jump in public awareness over Internet throttling and other practices by service providers in Canada has led to a sharp jump in complaints to the federal regulator, one expert said Tuesday.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

Internet complaints spike in Canada Back to video

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) released figures this week that showed the number of complaints received between Oct. 1 and Dec. 30, 2011 — with the majority based around Internet Traffic Management Practices (ITMPs) — have the agency on pace to far exceed the number of grievances it received over a two-year period between 2009 and 2011.

Michael Geist, a University of Ottawa professor who holds the Canada Research Chair in Internet and e-commerce Law, said new numbers released by the CRTC could be an indication of greater public knowledge about Internet service issues, which has led to more vocal consumers.

“I think (the increased complaints) is a good thing,” Geist said. “We’ve seen a shift in the last six months . . . obviously, the (CRTC) is more transparent in terms of the number of complaints they’re getting — as this release demonstrates — they’ve been more aggressive about enforcing, as their enforcement action (this month) against Rogers highlights, and I think the public is more aware of the rules and the value of filing complaints because over the last three months in particular, we’ve seen a pretty big spike in complaints.”

The CRTC said Tuesday that in the reporting quarter ending Dec. 30, 2011, it received a total of 41 ITMP-related complaints. By contrast, a total of 67 were received in the two-year period between Oct. 1, 2009 and Sept. 30, 2011. In the last reporting quarter, 18 complaints were forwarded to the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services. Only two others — for a total of 20 — have been submitted since October 2009.

In September 2011, the CRTC issued a bulletin announcing improved reporting practices for Internet complaints, which could be responsible for the recent spike in public concern.

Geist said most Internet companies in Canada have eliminated, or announced their intentions to eliminate, throttling practices, with Rogers remaining as the “one big holdout.”

Earlier in January, the CRTC said — in a letter to Rogers Communications Inc., — the company was breaking Canada’s Internet traffic management rules by deliberately slowing down certain online traffic.

In the letter, posted to the CRTC website on Jan. 20, the federal regulator said it is “of the belief” that the telecom giant is breaching the rules governing how Internet Service Providers control the flow of traffic on their networks.

“Within two weeks, I look forward to you either presenting us with a rebuttal of our evidence or providing us with a plan to come into compliance with the (Telecommunications) Act,” wrote Andrea Rosen, the CRTC’s chief compliance and enforcement officer. “Failure to provide a meaningful rebuttal or an effective plan will result in my recommendation to commissioners to hold a show-cause hearing.”

A Rogers spokeswoman said the company has not yet responded to the CRTC’s request and would not discuss the company’s intentions on Tuesday.

Last month, Bell Canada and Bell Alliant announced they will stop using equipment to slow down peer-to-peer file-sharing applications of retail and wholesale customers during peak hours, starting March 1.

The companies cited the increasing popularity of streamed video and other traffic, resulting in peer-to-peer file-sharing diminishing as a proportion of total traffic.

Software company Akamai conducts a quarterly “State of the Internet” report, and Geist said Canada was tied for ninth spot six months ago in terms of Internet speed. In the most recent report, however, this country has dipped to a tie for 15th place. For peak connection speed, Canada No. 19, he said.

“Other countries are steadily bypassing Canada,” Geist said. “In some ways, the willingness of a service provider (Rogers) in the face of the CRTC action and in the face of clear public frustrations, to still stick with (throttling), highlights part of the problems we’ve got.”

Ottawa Citizen