Alternative Telecommunications Policy Forum

A gathering of telecommunications policy experts, community groups, public interest advocates, and academics to discuss and debate the future of telecommunications policy and regulation in Canada, Ottawa, October 19-21, 2006.

Background

In 2005, the Government of Canada launched its first major review of telecommunications policy in almost fifteen years, to take into account sweeping changes in technology (especially the Internet), and the new more competitive, global landscape. In March of 2006, after a brief public consultation, the 3-person Telecommunications Policy Review Panel (TPRP) issued its final report, calling for more deregulation and increased reliance on market forces in order to promote the growth and competitiveness on Canada’s telecommunications industry. In our view, many of the Panel’s recommendations jeopardize the goal of an affordable and universally accessible telecommunications system accountable to the Canadian public. The recommendations of the TPRP are currently being reviewed by the Conservative government.

To the limited extent possible, community organizations, municipalities, public interest groups, trade unionists, and academic researchers participated in the TPRP process, demonstrating the existence of a committed and informed telecommunications ‘counter-public’ in Canada. Among the issues and concerns this group brought before the TPRP were: public and consumer rights; implications of the breakdown of the carrier/content distinction; net neutrality; the digital divide; and local vs. foreign ownership. For various reasons, including the limited mandate of the review and the increasing pace of technological change, the TPRP’s policy discussions and final report do not adequately address the current communication landscape. There remains a clear and urgent need for a citizen-centric and community-oriented perspective to be brought to bear on communications policy making in Canada.

Alternative Telecommunications Policy Forum: A citizen-centred, community-oriented perspective on telecommunications policy and regulation

As the federal government considers the TPRP recommendations, a window of opportunity exists to influence proposed changes to Canada’s telecommunications policy and regulatory landscape. The two-day Alternative Telecommunications Policy Forum will bring together telecommunications policy experts, community groups, public interest advocates, trade unionists, and academics to discuss and debate the future of telecommunications policy and regulation as they impact on the lives of Canadians and their communities. The Forum will offer informative panels and discussions on a variety of topics, and will provide an opportunity for representatives from diverse telecommunications counter-publics to network and organize as we go forward. The Forum will produce a final communiqué to be forwarded to the Minister of Industry, Hon. Maxime Bernier.

Among the topics to addressed by keynotes and panelists (speakers TBA) are:

• Telecommunications and the Public Good: Are market forces the answer?

• Municipal broadband: An idea whose times has come?

• The ‘Net Neutrality’ debate and what it means for Canada

• Digital opportunities for whom? Creating ICT programs that work for Canadian Communities

• From consultation to engagement: how can we get Ottawa to listen?

• Foreign ownership limits in Canadian telecommunications

• Rethinking institutions of regulation: Democratizing the institutions of telecommunications regulation and governance

The Alternative Telecommunications Policy Forum will be of interest to community networks; voluntary sector organizations; civil servants and parliamentarians; labour unions; women’s groups; journalists; disability advocates; telecommunications consumer groups, telecommunications researchers; academics and municipalities.

The Forum is being organized by the Canadian Research Alliance for Community Innovation and Networking (CRACIN), a multi-year project funded by SSHRC whose goals are to bring together community informatics researchers, community networking practitioners and government policy specialists from across Canada to document and assess the achievements of community-based ICT initiatives in the context of, among other things, the main Canadian government programs promoting the development, public accessibility and use of internet services. (For more information please see www.cracin.ca). The Forum is funded by SSHRC’s INE Outreach Program.

Leslie Regan Shade (Forum Chair, Concordia University, Dept. of Communication Studies) On Behalf of the CRACIN Executive:

Andrew Clement (University of Toronto, Faculty of Information Studies)

Michael Gurstein (Executive Director: Centre for Community Informatics Research, Development and Training, Vancouver)

Marita Moll (Telecommunities Canada)

Graham Longford (Post-Doctoral Fellow, University of Toronto)