According to the CBC We will have a decision from the CRTC on the Bell Throttling case by 9 a.m. tomorrow after twice delaying the ruling. The decision will determine whether Bell Canada has violated the Telecommunications Act by slowing down the internet access it sells to wholesale customers.

Bell began throttling its own Sympatico retail customers in October 2007, and extended the practice in March to CAIP members, which rent portions of Bell's network to provide internet service to their own customers. The CRTC rejected CAIP's call for an immediate cease-and-desist order but launched a public investigation into Bell's actions.

A ruling against Bell would likely allow CAIP members to sell unthrottled internet services, thus giving them a competitive advantage over the company and others that slow peer-to-peer applications, such as Rogers Communications Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc.

Bigger throttling probe likely

A decision against CAIP may not necessarily close the door on the throttling issue, however. CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein this summer said a decision on the Bell-CAIP case will be limited to whether the company has violated its wholesale agreements with the smaller providers. A more detailed CRTC probe into whether throttling should be allowed in a general sense will likely follow, he said.

Read the entire CBC story:
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/11/19/tech-crtc.html?ref=rss

Reach P2Pnet coverage:
http://www.p2pnet.net/story/17638

TAKE ACTION NOW