Dear concerned Canadian,
[Your Name Here] has shared this e-mail from the Green Party of Canada, about the Green Party's position on usage-based billing (UBB).
With the deadline for the Canadian Radio-Television & Telecommunications Commission’s (CRTC) review process rapidly approaching, many Canadians—already paying some of the highest access rates in the world—are alarmed at the thought of a hefty increase to Internet and mobile costs.
-------<[ Show the rest ]>-------
The Green Party believes that Canada’s ability to hold its own in an increasingly wired world requires a nation-wide plan to modernize an outdated access infrastructure—one that involves all shareholders (private and public).
Our platform includes:
- A Municipal Infrastructure Fund to help communities build broadband capacity that fully meets the needs of 21st-century Canadians.
- National projects to update communications infrastructure.
The combination of swift changes in technology and regulatory neglect has created a Wild West communications market. The Green Party calls for:
- Fair market practices through regulation and licensing of Internet and mobile device service providers.
- The CRTC to work with the Competition Bureau to minimize anti-competitive actions by Big Telecom to ensure that consumer interests are protected.
Current CRTC’s public input policies are not user-friendly. They should be changed to make it easier for Canadians to have a voice in the regulation of this increasingly important industry, as it affects both personal and commercial spheres.
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May sums up the party’s position thusly: “The Internet is critical for modern day citizen engagement and an integral part of our economic competitiveness… We are committed to enhancing broadband access, competition, transparency and choice.”
Please forward this to friends who may be concerned about the upcoming CRTC ruling on whether to limit broadband access through hefty rate increases.
Sincerely,
Johan Hamels
Executive Director, Green Party of Canada
