CRTC wants to tax and regulate the web

This not another “internet tax” hoax. It’s another real internet tax attempt. Even worse is the concept of the CRTC regulating the web and/or internet in Canada. First, read the CRTC’s Public Notice and weep. The deadline for filing comments is July 11.

First let’s remember that the CRTC is really the Commission for Repression and Thought Control. They’ve had their way with cable and satellite TV for years, turning it into a CanCon wasteland. That drove people to grey-market satellites. Grey-market satellites were outlawed, and people turned to the internet. Now the CRTC wants to go after the internet.

Actually, they’ve wanted to go after the internet for years and years. Even a dozen years ago, the chair of the CRTC was saying that Canadians were were watching too much foreign web, and by golly, we’re gonna do something about it. They’ve tried to sneak in and control the internet a couple of times already. The public backlash has been intense. But just like “The Terminator”, they keep coming back.

II. ARE INCENTIVES OR REGULATORY MEASURES REQUIRED FOR THE CREATION AND PROMOTION OF CANADIAN NEW MEDIA BROADCASTING CONTENT?

• Are new or enhanced support mechanisms required for the development and production of Canadian new media broadcasting content? If so, in what form?

• Are new measures needed to ensure that all elements of the new media broadcasting environment contribute to the creation and presentation of Canadian programming?

• Is there a need for measures to enhance the promotion and visibility of Canadian new media broadcasting?

IV. WHAT OTHER BROADCASTING POLICY OBJECTIVES SHOULD BE CONSIDERED WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THE PROCEEDING?

The Act outlines several policy objectives encompassing various cultural, economic, social and technological issues. What other issues and relevant questions regarding new media broadcasting and the achievement of the broadcasting policy objectives of the Act should be explored in the new media

“contribute to the creation and presentation of Canadian programming” is beaureaucratic gobbledegook for yet another tax. This would most likely be on ISPs, which would mean higher monthly fees for you and me.

So much for the promise of P2P music downloads for everyone

One assumption in the songwriters’ proposal was that everybody could P2P and download “free music” to their hearts’ content, in return for $5/month. Guess what, P2P is being throttled to death, not only by the cablecos and Sympatico, but also by Bellnexxia against 3rd-party ADSL providers.

An open letter to the Songwriters Association about its proposed internet tax

Hello;

You’ve probably been getting a lot of abusive responses from people who are pissed off about being accused of crimes they didn’t commit. I will try to keep this email civil, but I do have some rather pointed questions about issues that you’ve been avoiding both in the initial proposal on your webpage, and in Eddie Schwartz’s piece in The National Post. Please note that this email, and any responses to it, will be posted on my blog at https://walterdnes.wordpress.com/

SOCAN’s internet tax; Opening the floodgates

The Songwriters Association of Canada has proposed a $5/month internet tax, on ALL CANADIAN INTERNET ACCOUNTS, to punish the vast majority of innocent Canadians for the actions of a small minority. They don’t give a damn what happens, as long as they collect their pound of flesh. However, I care.

The question arises, what’s so special about SOCAN? Nothing really. Why should they get their pound of flesh from innocent Canadian internet users, while other alleged “internet downloading victims” don’t?

There’s no logical answer to that question. Therefore, If SOCAN gets to collect a tax, why shouldn’t the MPAA (movies), the TV networks, e-book publishers, software publishers, etc, etc? Pretty soon, my $29.95/month ADSL account will be subject to anywhere from $50 to $100 or more, per month, to pay off everybody demanding their cut. Do we really want to turn the internet into the preserve of the filthy rich who can afford such an extravegance?

Someone stole my used clunker; that gives me the right to steal your new Cadillac

Two wrongs do not make a right, let alone punishing an innocent 3rd party for someone else’s actions. Yet, the Songwriters Association of Canada seems to think so. As pointed out by the New York Times, major ISPs like Comcast see 50% of their bandwidth use come from only 5% of their customers.

SOCAN proposes to grab $5 per month from ALL CANADIAN INTERNET SUBSCRIBERS, including the innocent 95% who mostly use their accounts to surf the web, and read email, and watch Youtube, etc. Their biggest downloads tend to be legitimate operating system and program security and feature updates. This is not about justice for songwriters, it’s about a bigtime money-grab from innocent law-abiding internet users.

What is this blog about?

I’ve noticed a worrying trend in Canada where so-called “free-enterprisers” have stopped trying to sell their “services” to willing customers. Rather than spend money on advertising their product/service, they spend money lobbying government to have their product made mandatory. Why restrict your revenue base to merely those people who want and need your product? It’s so much nicer to also be able to collect money from people who don’t want or need your product. Since the free-loading-enterprisers demand to get paid for an unwanted “service”, they’re like squeegee kids. But the’re actually corporate types who wear fancy suits. Thus, I came up with the SKIPS acronym for “Squeegee Kids In Pinstripe Suits”.