To all who have joined the fight for Net Neutrality in Canada:

Stand up and take a bow.

Thanks largely to the thousands of you who spoke out through the SaveOurNet.ca campaigns, the CRTC has issued new rules that are intended to prevent Internet Service Providers from discriminating against certain types of traffic and content.

What's more, last week the federal Liberals made Net Neutrality official party policy. In May, SaveOurNet.ca led a successful campaign to push Net Neutrality to the top of the list on the Liberal party's website where Canadians could vote on which issues matter most to them.

Now both the New Democratic Party and the Liberals have official policies supporting Net Neutrality.

These are huge milestones in the effort to keep Canada's internet open. However, we cannot rest on our laurels. It's time to get back to work. The SaveOurNet.ca coalition has to keep the pressure on the CRTC in order to achieve full Net Neutrality for Canadians.

Internet law expert Michael Geist says that the CRTC decision "... advances the ball forward on several important fronts. ... (it) signifies that traffic management is not a free-for-all and the days of ISPs arguing that they can do whatever they please on their networks is over." However, the decision "also guarantees that traffic management practices such as throttling will continue ..."

As it stands right now, the onus is on the consumer to file a complaint and to prove that the ISP is throttling traffic. We think that's wrong. When it comes to surfing the web, the internet user, not big telecom, should be in the driver's seat.

Please take a moment to send this pre-written letter (you can edit it all you want) to Industry Minister Tony Clement and tell him he should ask the CRTC to conduct regular compliance audits of ISP traffic management practices.

We really appreciate your help in getting us this far. We will continue to work together until we achieve our goal: Net Neutrality for all Canadians!

The SaveOurNet.ca team

P.S. In Vancouver? Join Steve Anderson, SaveOurNet.ca national co-ordinator, in a panel called "Remixing Pop Culture" and a subsequent presentation titled "Open Internet Now" at Media Democracy Day in Vancouver on Nov. 6 and 7. Get details

Subject: Tell CRTC to police Net throttlers

Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],

When asked about Net Neutrality recently in the House of Commons, you said that you are "watching those providers very closely" and that you "do not want to see a situation where consumers are put at risk in terms of their access to the Internet."

You should be aware that several dominant ISPs are presently limiting access to bittorent applications and the content that runs through them. This limits consumer choice, stifles innovation, free enterprise and free expression.

The CRTC's new traffic management framework is an important step toward remedying this situation. However, the CRTC will not enforce its own framework unless citizens compile evidence of throttling and file complaints.

You can help stop Internet Service Providers from discriminatory traffic-shaping practices. In order to make Net Neutrality a practical reality in Canada, I am asking that you please ask the CRTC to conduct regular compliance audits of ISP traffic management practices.

Please listen to civil society groups, leading businesses and citizens who have written letters, participated in rallies and attended Open Internet Town Hall events in several cities across the country. More than 13,000 Canadians have asked the CRTC to enforce Net Neutrality and now we're asking you to join us.

It should be up to users, not ISPs, to decide which applications and services we use on the Internet.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

cc:
Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff
NDP Leader Jack Layton
Prime Minister Stephen Harper