RSSCanada looks into ISP tax for $100m Web content fund
By Jacqueline Emigh | Published February 19, 2009, 11:19 AM
The Canadian CRTC launched hearings this week into a proposal that would force ISPs to relinquish about three percent of their subscriber revenues to fund Canadian-produced Web content.
"We must respect the principles of openness and individual choice that govern the Internet, while maintaining access to, and for, Canadian stories, opinions, and ideas," contended CRTC Chairman Konrad Von Finklestein, in opening the hearings on Tuesday.
If approved, the measure would represent a big departure for the CRTC, the Canadian Internet regulatory body, which committed to a hands-off approach to "new media" in 1999, and adopted the same stance toward Web-enabled cell phones in 2007.
Foes of the proposal charge that it would interfere with "freedom of expression" for Canadian ISPs, and that ultimately, the costs would be passed along to consumers.
"The introduction of a tax on Internet use or bureaucratic interference in access to content will not be acceptable and will be perceived as an unjustifiable restriction on freedom of Internet expression," wrote Ken Stein, senior VP of regulatory affairs for Canadian ISP Shaw Communications, in a letter to the CRTC.
In a way, the proposed Web content fund would be similar to the $242 million Canadian Television Fund (CTF). With about half of its funding coming from cable and satellite TV companies, the CTF provides independent producers with financial support for Canadian-grown documentaries, comedies, and dramas.
However, unlike ISPs, TV networks are clearly charged under Canada's Broadcast Act with helping to support Canadian culture.
From all the survey's and web pages on this subject I've read I believe I can safely say most Canadians do not want the CRTC doing anything on the Internet let alone creating a tax in receesionary times!
I hve emailed my Member of Parliament stating that fact, pleas do the same hopefully we can nip this thing in the bud!
Then just sit back and watch if in fact this action is goig to be shoved down the Canadian citizen's throat by our government, whether we want it or not!
That should tell us we need to vote for new more down to earth at our level leaders who are actually aware of and prone the the average Canadian citizen's lifestyle!
I am very tired of these Larky Malarky high society stalemates that are trying to heard us like cattle aren't you?
We need to kick all of the parties butts that haunt our parliament and put elected leaders that reach for and practice real democracy - not by the power of money - but by the power of Canadian people!
Is there such a thing as honest leaders anymore? If so this is what we need more so than politicians who strive for two terms of office!
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|The CRTC's mission is to control the flow of information for political purposes. By controlling TV and radio licensing they largely control who can inject information into Canadian's minds. Do you think they are concerned with "promoting Canadian culture" or with "manipulating public opinion"? CRTC must now realize that in less than 10 years broadcast television will be dead. We'll still be watching video, but it'll be downloaded from a place of our choosing. Without the CRTC to decide who gets a voice and who doesn't, outfits like the CBC have to compete with the likes of CCTV and Al Jazeera when it comes to convincing us what is "fact" and "truth". And I'm not just talking about news, but programming intended for entertainment purposes as well. Most of us don't like to admit it, but we get a lot of our values and ideas about how the real world works from fictional shows.
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|"We must respect the principles of openness and individual choice that govern the Internet, while maintaining access to, and for, Canadian stories, opinions, and ideas,"
So, in the interest of openness and CHOICE, you are now REQUIRED to pay a new tax.
Government is a good mommy.
Oh wait, Obama is visiting Canada!
Enjoy!
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|Yeah, he wanted to see a successful nation for once instead of the failure America was leading to before he got elected so he will know what it looks like when he's done rescuing you from the incompetence of libertopian inspired policies of the last 8 years.
Plus, He may have wanted to also see an actual democracy and how it works. All he has to go is the failure of the republic at home. His work is truly just beginning. I hope he succeeds in saving America from the likes of you.
P.S.
Now I'm going to sit back and see the retard try to twist this around. foxfart is such a disturbed little twat.
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|All you've got is name calling, made up words, and rhetoric and *he's* the disturbed one?
Riiiight. [rollseyes]
Successful nation, he says. *laughing* By what metric? (This ought to be good...Wanna bet he goes for the "Quality of Life" standby that uses such woefully inadequate statistics as "enrolled in medical care" (social wins regardless of "quality") or "poverty" (nations with lower bars win even though their people are poorer))
Yeah, figured as much.
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|Free trade?
Oh, you mean Obama wasn't up there to thank the Canadiens for all of the traffic to the US to get real medical treatment for what ails them, literally in their lifetime? The US appreciates all of the business you guys will send us.
Say 'hi' to all of the indigenous folks up there who share your admiration for the world's greatest democracy.
Now, if they could only get the provinces to synchronize their train schedules so that they could actually run inter-province train routes...
How much you want to bet that my family were Anglo 'colonialists' (you know, the ones responsible for such a grand 'democracy' - despite the Parlimentary model that is employed, you nitwit) in Canada before yours were? LMAO
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|Witness sjc's mentor.
Now if sjc would just live up to his potential, emulate his mentor, and follow his example...
http://www.thedenverchan...ml?rss=den&psp=news
And to think he was there to 'envigorate' the Democratic convention! Eh?
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|Wow, if the ol' parliament wanted an unpopular idea, they found one. With the possible exception of Canadian porn site owners I see NOBODY wanting this. If they tried this in the US it would be fought tooth and nail, and if it couldn't be stopped a lot of ISPs would shut down. 3%?? A lot of the smaller providers don't have margins much beyond that.
Kholdstare: the way it should be done is, you either pay the tax OR you don't throttle. If you have to comply with both that's two burdens at once and it would kill the industry. Of course, the tax is absurd and shouldn't be implemented anywhere.
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|We all see the high cost of little taxation that the US has become. When you cut revenue someone still has to pay.
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|Little taxation?!?!
*laughing my a** off*
Yeah, 40% is a "little"...
Some of us make more than McDonald's pays, genius.
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|I would gladly take the Tax if they removed the caps and make throttling illegal
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|It'll be more likely you'll get the tax and not get anything in return for it.
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