Today, as another battle for the future of Canadian broadcasting on the Internet begins at the CRTC, ACTRA is urging the regulator not to hand the keys to the Internet over to a handful of major corporations who control broadband access in Canada. Instead, it is asking the CRTC to enshrine the principle of ‘net neutrality’.
“As Canadians continue to seek more and more broadcasting content online, it is imperative that the CRTC enshrine the principle of ‘net neutrality’ and keep the Internet free from interference by big service providers,” said Ferne Downey, ACTRA National President.
Discriminatory traffic throttling diminishes the range of distribution options for Canadian performers and degrades the quality of the Internet as a content distribution platform. With increasing broadcaster concentration, ACTRA is also concerned that ISPs will discriminate in favour of their affiliated companies’ content.
Net neutrality is a particular concern to audio-visual performers because their work is being increasingly distributed on the Internet ? and video is the type of internet traffic frequently affected by throttling due to large file sizes.
“All Internet users must be treated equally, regardless of what content they are sending or receiving or whether their ISP is a big or small player. Equal, unfettered access to the Internet is fundamental to the future of not only our broadcasting and telecom systems, but our health as a democratic country,” said Stephen Waddell, ACTRA’s National Executive Director.
ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists) is the national organization of professional performers working in the English-language recorded media in Canada. ACTRA represents the interests of 21,000 members across Canada ? the foundation of Canada’s highly acclaimed professional performing community.
The position and views in this statement are supported and endorsed by the American Federation of Musicians, Canada representing over 17,000 professional musicians.
