Being a blog by Leslie Regan Shade

Archive for Telecommunications Policy

Sexing Up Net Neutrality

And from Ethan Feldman in The McGill Daily (March 23, 2009):
http://www.mcgilldaily.com/article/18739

With Internet service providers (ISPs) able to control content and give preferential speed to compliant web sites, questions have been raised about the interconnection between network neutrality and the right to free speech.

Three panelists discussed net neutrality – broadband networks free of restrictions on content, sites, or platforms – on Wednesday, in a talk organized by Flo Schade, U1 Industrial Relations and Vice President of the McGill chapter of Borderless World Volunteers.

Panelist Leslie Shade, associate professor of media studies and MA Program Director at Concordia University, admitted that a discussion revolving around packets and bits often makes the debate unappealing to the average person.

“How can you sex [net neutrality] up a bit? There’s so much technical information that it’s hard for most to get a grasp of why it’s an important issue,” Shade said.

The net neutrality debate centers on what rights ISPs – such as AT&T, Bell, and Videotron – have over the information transferred on their wires, which may restrict end-user’s right to equal access to Internet files.

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Net Neutrality Resources and Activism in CA

Resources from the Campaign for Democratic Media

Save Our Net: Protecting Your Internet

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…judgment day for BCE on $52B bid by private equity group

Ross Marowits, THE CANADIAN PRESS
March 07, 2008
MONTREAL - The $52-billion takeover of BCE Inc. (TSX:BCE) could reach an important milestone Friday when a Quebec judge discloses his ruling on lawsuits challenging Canada’s largest business transaction.

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New book asks Canadians to stand on guard for the public interest in telecom reform

forSale_book-c1.jpg

For Sale to the Highest Bidder: Telecom Policy in Canada, edited by Marita Moll and Leslie Regan Shade. Ottawa: Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. March 2008.

Order Form, Table of Content and Intro available at CCPA.

For Sale to the Highest Bidder: Telecom Policy in Canada, is a timely collection of articles that offer a critical perspective on the current state and future of telecommunications policy in Canada.

Anticipating CRTC Chair Konrad von Finckenstein

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