Complaints about slowing down online traffic are speeding up in Canada.
Some Internet Service providers say they will stop the practice; others may face regulatory action if the complaints are not throttled.
Fifty-two complaints have been filed since last fall, says the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, when it put out its first warning to the industry about managing traffic on their networks.
The CRTC's traffic management policy says that degradation of time-sensitive Internet traffic, like multi-player gaming or video chatting requires prior approval. A company must disclose to its customers if it is slowing down such traffic.
Internet Traffic Management Practice (ITMP) techniques are used to slow down speeds demanded by heavy users and peak period gamers by specifically identifying and slowing P2P file sharing.
Bell Media recently announced it would reign in some of the Internet slowing it has practiced in recent years, an announcement welcomed by many 'Open Internet' advocates and online users.
But complaints from the user community, and in particular from the Canadian Gamers Organization say Rogers in particular was slowing down or throttling online gaming, and peer to peer networking traffic.
The CRTC says the practice continued at some operators despite previous citations.
"Based on the preliminary results of our ongoing investigation, Commission staff is of the belief that Rogers Communications Inc. ("Rogers") applies a technical ITMP to unidentified traffic using default peer-to-peer ("P2P") ports," wrote Andrea Rosen, the CRTC's chief compliance and enforcement officer, in a letter which outlines the evidence gathered to date.
Rogers has two weeks in which to provide the CRTC with a response, rebuttal or compliance plan. "Failure to provide a meaningful rebuttal or an effective plan will result in my recommendation to Commissioners to hold a show-cause hearing," Rosen added.
Rogers has stated that it will investigate the CRTC's latest report, and it has noted that unintentional throttling may be the result of software glitches in its overall traffic management system.
Non-profit Internet advocacy organization OpenMedia.ca has long decried the lack of enforcement of Canada's Internet openness rules for the inadequate protection it affords online choice and innovation.
Throttling the open Internet were never justified in the first place, it says, adding that it was glad to see Bell moving away from the practice, but still concerned that Rogers and other big Internet service providers may continue to use what it says is a discriminatory tactic.
For more Mediacaster Magazine coverage related to this topic, please see
Internet Providers to Stop Slowing Internet Traffic
http://www.mediacastermagazine.com/news/internet-providers-to-stop-slowing-internet-traffic/1000768287/
Internet Throttling Threatens Privacy
http://www.mediacastermagazine.com/news/internet-throttling-threatens-privacy/1000340373/
CRTC Says New Wholesale Billing Supports Choice of Internet Services
http://www.mediacastermagazine.com/news/crtc-says-new-wholesale-billing-supports-choice-of-internet-services/1000702194/