Slow Internet Enrages Public

Consumers and Internet suppliers are facing off in front of legislators in Canada to debate how congested Canada’s Internet really is. The people believe that the Internet has decreased to crawl due to the ISP’s handling of Internet traffic, and their practice of trying to consolidate it all into smaller channels. The ISPs claim they are doing the best they can, but the massive amount of traffic they encounter will inevitably lead to slower browsing times if they hope to accommodate everyone who is surfing.

The Internet companies believe the solution to the speed problem is to slow down certain applications which don’t require as much bandwidth, and speed up others that require more. They urge legislators to not create any time guidelines for loading sequences, as the Internet is a rapidly evolving place and these rules and regulations would be difficult to instate in a timely manner on every new website that pops up. By giving them the control, they could eliminate the inequalities in network speeds created by the public.

Thus, the debate rages; can ISPs regulate Internet traffic? The public says no, as some people who use peer to peer file sharing programs could be hit hard by the regulation, as these types of applications require lots and lots of bandwidth. Internet providers assert that regulating these high bandwidth application is simply a choice of the lesser of two evils: most people can travel much more quickly, while some will have to wait longer to share and download files.

The public and privacy group advocates insist that the ISPs are not allowed to control or change any Internet traffic or content coming to and from the people. Citizens cite a ordinance in the Telecommunications Act which says in verbatim: “Carriers shall not control the content or influence the meaning or purpose of telecommunications carried by it for the public.”  By doing any sort of controlling or changing of their Internet experience, these companies would be violating that act.

The public also argues that certain time-based programs, such as Internet voice communication and most online games would be thrown off by a restriction of bandwidth. Imagine saying something to a friend and having them hear it minutes later, or playing a game of online chess and your move is only registered minutes later. This wouldn’t fly for Internet businessmen, or any avid video gamer.

While the technology companies have a valid point, what they wish to do would violate sanctions set in place by level-headed lawmakers. The public is just scared that these changes won’t work, and the vast demographic that uses online communications, games, and other media sharing programs would be almost completely shut down.  It all boils down to one thing, and the public has to decide whether or not to embrace this double-edged sword. They  have to ask themselves; am I going to give up Internet freedom for Internet speed?

You also have to ask yourself what happens when the ISP’s start monitoring traffic. Will then be content to monitor the type of traffic, or will they start to examine the actual content. If they start monitoring content, then more and more people will start using encrypted anonymous proxy solutions to surf anonymously. No one wants their Internet surfing read or recorded.  And thus the use of anonymous proxies is on the rise.

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