The big telcoms practice of traffic shaping, controlling how fast your internet connection is, finally makes the news today with this report from CBC. I’m not even sure if that link will work as the CBC site doesn’t let you link directly to videos (!?) You can either rush over to the CBC News main page and hope the video is still there. Or check out their archived vids and hope that it’s made it’s way onto that page. Great web2.0 design CBC.
The whole traffic shaping thing is tied directly to the Network Neutrality issue, which has made a lot of news in the US but not so much here. But don’t think it isn’t happening here. It is and we’re sleeping through it. If you want a good primer on Net Neutrality check out Bill Moyer’s Net @ Risk on the PBS site.
If you run a blog, participate in online gaming, or forums, then the end of Net Neutrality will change the way you use the internet. It is an aspect of media literacy that all Canadians need to get up to speed on if we are to continue to have a free internet where even this guy has a chance to have his work seen by the world. You can learn more about Canadian Net Neutrality issues at: neutrality.ca.
