Rogers admits it slows data, even if user pays for speed
Matt Hartley
Province
TORONTO — Canada‘s largest cable Internet providers want federal regulators to steer clear of crafting new rules for how carriers can manage the flow and speed of web traffic on their networks.
Executives from both Rogers Communications Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc. argued any technologies they employ to slow certain forms of web data are purely for the benefit of the majority of their customers and that market forces should determine which practices prevail in the industry.
However, questions were raised about what Internet service providers (ISPs) should be obligated to disclose to their customers regarding how they handle traffic flow on the Net.
On the sixth day of hearings into traffic-management policies of Canadian ISPs, Rogers told the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission it slows peer-to-peer web traffic used to upload files to the Internet to the same slow pace, regardless of the advertised speed of the pricing plan the user is paying for.
“I think that’s a rather stunning disclosure, and one that should be disclosed to users,” said Michael Geist, a law professor at the University of Ottawa, who holds the Canada Research Chair in Internet and e-commerce law.
“You’re representing to users that this is part of your user experience . . . and now they admit that, from an upload perspective, you get the same service.”
Ken Engelhart, Rogers‘ senior vice-president of regulatory affairs, said that, even though the company slows peer-to-peer traffic — usually used to transfer large files such as videos, which ISPs say congest their networks — customers can still upload at the speed associated with their plan using other programs.
Over the past week, some consumer groups have called upon the CRTC to demand ISPs disclose their traffic-managing practices, including the “throttled” speed at which data flows when it is being slowed.
ISPs have said this information is competitively sensitive, but opponents argue it is crucial for consumers when choosing a provider.
“You can’t say: ‘Let the market decide,’ . . . then not give them the information they need,” Geist said.
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