p2pnet news view Freedom | P2P:- The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is being criticised by local groups, businesses and companies it represents for supporting a move by Bell and Telus to overturn a CRTC decision on net speeds.

“Several smaller chambers, including those representing Winnipeg and Manitoba, the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses (CFIB) and a number of internet providers say the larger chamber did not consult them on their views — an accusation the national body denies — and therefore does not speak for them,” says , say the CBC.

Bell and Telus in March filed an appeal with the federal cabinet to overturn a ruling by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission made in December, 2008, that both companies, “as well as other big incumbent phone providers such as MTS Allstream,” would have to provide smaller wholesale customers with the same internet speeds that they themselves offer to retail customers, it states, going on »»»

If the CRTC decision is overturned, incumbent phone companies could offer retail customers faster internet speeds while wholesale customers, who rent portions of their networks, would be limited to offering slower speeds on older equipment unless they build their own infrastructure.

Cabinet has until Dec. 11 this year to make a ruling on the appeals. It can reject them, overturn the CRTC or tell the regulator to review the decision.

“There was a universal upheaval within the local chamber network,” the CBC has Tom Copeland, head of Cobourg, Ontario’s Eagle, and president of the Canadian Association of Internet Providers, which represents about 50 ISPs, stating.

“They were really [ticked] that the national chamber would presume to speak on this issue when there had been no consultation.”

But Shirley-Ann George, senior vice-president of policy for the Canadian chamber and author of the supporting letter to the Privy Council Office, said members were consulted, says the story, going on:

” ‘The Canadian chamber spoke for the chamber members at large,’ she said. ‘I don’t know the specifics but we would have went out and asked our members’.”

George said smaller ISPs and chambers are, “welcome to make their opinions heard through submissions to the Privy Council Office,” which posts them on a public website.

(Cheers, Rocky)

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CBC – Chamber of commerce draws fire for backing Bell, Telus, September 3, 2009

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