Net neutrality is a complex topic, but an important one. The gist is that the companies that provide Internet access (Bell or Rogers in the case of most of Canada) should not be able control or prioritise data on their networks based on where it comes from or what it is. OK, so far so dull - what does that really mean?

Here’s the Telecommmunications Policy Review Panel’s suggested net neutrality provision, via Michael Geist’s much better thought out post on the topic of net neutrality:

“The Telecommunications Act should be amended to confirm the right of Canadian consumers to access publicly available Internet applications and content of their choice by means of all public telecommunications networks providing access to the Internet…”

This is one of those unfortunate issues that it is very dry and technical, yet important to the average Canadian (though they may not know it yet). Essentially the Internet as we know it is neutral, and the call is to keep it that way. Neutral, in the context, means that your data packets from You Tube get the same priority as mine from whatever half-assed video service Rogers is trying to sell us right now.

The opposite of net neutrality, what we might call net discrimination, is what some Canadian ISPs would like to see. Personally I’m very fond of the Internet as it is, where new applications and uses can flourish without worrying about whether Bell or Rogers is going to discriminate against a particular type of network traffic in their own self interest. I guess I don’t think my interests and Bell’s consistently line up, so I’d like a promise that they will keep delivering whatever I ask for over the Internet connection I pay them for.

More at neutrality.ca

update April 21, 2007:
Or there was more at neutrality.ca yesterday whan I wrote this post, now there is a message reading:

Thank you to all those who have supported our websites. Due to increasing legal concerns resulting from our public participation in the Net Neutrality debate, we have at this time decided to shut down the operation of these sites.

We have no comment for the media and will not be releasing any additional detail about the factors leading up to this decision. We are currently looking for an appropriate organization to take over these properties and who has the resources to properly operate these sites.
Sincerely,

Kevin McArthur
StormTide Digital Studios Inc.

I don’t know anything about the background to the neutrality.ca site being pulled, but is seems ominous.