Prove file sharing blocks traffic, Bell ordered
p2pnet news | Freedom:- As p2pnet posted last week, today (June 23) is the last day Bell Canada has to comply with the CRTC order to “publicly” detail levels of congestion it says forced it to launch its heavily criticised bandwidth throttling practices.
“This is seen as a positive step for the consumer, and another round in the long battle of the small ISPs against the Giant Internet Service providers such as Bell Canada and Rogers Canada Communications,” says EON in a massive understatement:
The dispute, which may have gone largely unnoticed had it not been for the fact it’s become a major online issue, “centres on Bell’s limiting of speeds of peer-to-peer internet applications such as BitTorrent,” says the CBC, going on >>>
The company started throttling its own customers using these applications in November and expanded the practice to other internet service providers (ISPs) who rent portions of its network in March. The Canadian Association of Internet Providers, a group of 55 small ISPs affected by the move, filed a complaint in April with the CRTC charging that Bell’s actions were anti-competitive.
The CRTC last month rejected CAIP’s call for an immediate cease-and-desist order but launched a public probe of Bell’s throttling.
Bell says it needs to limit speeds of peer-to-peer applications because they are overwhelming and congesting its network. CAIP says the company has failed to prove there is a congestion problem.
According to Bell spokesman Mark Langton, “Our folks are still looking at it, but I see no issue with complying.”
“The regulator will now accept comments until July 3 and expects to make a ruling in late summer,” adding:
“The throttling of internet applications by Bell, Rogers Communications Inc. and a few other ISPs has become a rallying point for net neutrality advocates, prompting a protest on Parliament Hill last month, a complaint with the privacy commissioner and a pair of private member’s bills from MPs.”
Addressed to Bell’s Mirko ‘5%’ Bibic, the CRTC (Canadian Radio Television and Telecommunications Commission) document reads in full >>>
Re: Application requesting certain orders directing Bell Canada to cease and desist from “throttling” its wholesale ADSL Access Services
This letter addresses the requests made by the Canadian Association of Internet Providers (CAIP) on 6 June 2008 for the disclosure of information for which confidentiality was claimed by Bell Canada in its responses to certain interrogatories in the above-noted proceeding.
On 13 June 2007 the Commission received Bell Canada’s response to CAIP’s requests for disclosure.
Requests for disclosure of information for which confidentiality was claimed are addressed in light of sections 38 and 39 of the Telecommunications Act and section 19 of the CRTC Telecommunications Rules of Procedure (the Rules). In evaluating a request, an assessment is made as to whether there is any specific direct harm likely to result from the disclosure of the information in question. In making this evaluation, a number of factors are taken into consideration, including the degree of competition that exists in a particular market or that is expected to occur. All things being equal, the greater the degree of actual or expected competition, the greater the specific direct harm that could be expected to result from disclosure. Another factor is the expected usefulness of the information at issue to parties in furthering their competitive position. In this regard, an important consideration is the degree to which the information at issue is disaggregated. Generally speaking, the more aggregated the information, the less likelihood that specific direct harm will flow from its disclosure.
Even where specific direct harm may result, this harm must be balanced against, and outweigh the public interest in disclosure in order to qualify for confidentiality. In certain circumstances, specific direct harm from disclosure may still be outweighed by the public interest in disclosure.
Having regard to the considerations set out above, Commission staff has determined, based on all the material before it, that no specific direct harm would likely result from disclosure, or that the public interest in disclosure outweighs any specific direct harm that might result from disclosure, of the information specified in the Attachment to this letter.
Unless otherwise expressly indicated, Bell Canada is to place on the public record all of the information specified in the Attachment by 23 June 2008, serving a copy on CAIP by the same date. These submissions must be received, not merely sent, by that date.
As a result of the above process to dispose of CAIP’s request for disclosure of information in respect of which a claim of confidentiality has been made, the process set out in Commission staff’s 15 May letter for filing submissions in relation to CAIP’s original application is modified as follows:
1. Interested parties (other than Bell Canada and CAIP) may file with the Commission, serving a copy on Bell Canada and CAIP, comments with regard to the issues raised by CAIP in its application by 3 July 2008.
2. Bell Canada may file with the Commission, serving a copy on CAIP, its answer by 10 July 2008.
3. CAIP may file with the Commission, serving a copy on Bell Canada, a reply by 17 July 2008.
Documents to be filed and served in accordance with the above process must be received, not merely sent, by the dates indicated.
Yours sincerely,
Original signed by
Paul Godin
Director General,
Competition, Costing and Tariffs
Telecommunications
cc: Tom Copeland, CAIP, tom@eagle.ca
attach (1)
Attachment
Disclosure of information for which confidentiality was claimed Bell Canada(CRTC)15May08-2a) CAIP Part VII
Bell Canada is to disclose the following information on the public record:
1) The link utilization thresholds on page 3 of 15
2) The link congestion criterion on page 4 of 15
Bell Canada(CRTC)15May08-2b) CAIP Part VII and Bell Canada(CRTC)10Jun08-1
Bell Canada is to disclose the following information related to the chart on page 5 of 15 of its response to Bell Canada(CRTC)15May08-2b) on the public record, using the numerical information, including the total number of links (i.e. congested and non-congested) in its network provided in response to Bell Canada(CRTC)10Jun08-1:
For each link type (i.e. central office DSLAM, aggregation network, BAS and backbone network), for each month for the period March 2007 to April 2008, the percentage (in numerical form) that the number of congested links is of the number of total links, aggregated for the Ontario and Quebec regions.
Stay tuned.
.
.Stumble It!
p2pnet – CRTC responds to Bell non-disclosure stance, June 19, 2008
bandwidth throttling practices – p2pnet traffic shaping digest, aPRIL 19, 2008
EON – canadian Radio Television Commission Issues Order, June 21, 2008
in November – Bell Sympatico P2P Black List, November 3, 2007
Parliament Hill last month – Canadians rally for Net Neutrality, May 27, 2008
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June 23rd, 2008 at 7:19 am
wouldn’t they just say “we don’t block traffic” and leave it at that?
June 23rd, 2008 at 8:59 am
excuse me while i tell you what the last bell tech told me ( some older actual person in a van that is….)
“bell oversold its network thats why they HAD to do this.”
To which i replied,
“so lets stop the next school bus and envision this scene, that of the 50 seats you book 1000 kids for that bus to get to school, htere parents paid fo r the trip and your saying you have the right after that contract to say well we can shuttle all 1000 only they won’t get there on time”
Furthar proof, nohting needs shaping:
Times when kids are off school and the shape isn’t on , i got no less then normal max speed.
Weekends same thing.
This is all about the BCE sale and trying tomake that sick dinosaur look profitable when its a money pit.
35 billion debt to the now sold company…. Can you say when are you going to upgrade the network now?
ALSO
NOW you can directly blame a teacher for traffic shaping,
( draw a circle on the paper and put BELL with a slash through it , then hand in to teacher )