MP Wants to Ban All Unlicensed ISPs

Last month, Conservative MP Joy Smith introduced the "Clean Internet Act" / Bill C-427. So this is old news, but it's worth taking a look at...

Without mincing words, the "Clean Internet Act" is another attempt to control our internet connections with over-reaching and ineffective new laws. If this actually became law, all ISPs would have to get a license from the government just to be able to connect to the internet. MP Joy Smith clearly has little regard for free expression -in print, out loud, or on the internet- even though free expression is a basic democratic right and necessity. Smith would have it so you couldn't publish a blog without having a licensed publisher/ISP: Would Smith propose a law making it so only licensed printers could publish books, or only licensed book stores could sell books? Probably not-- but why would she single out internet providers and internet users? And did she have to actually call the new Act the "CIA"? Isn't that a bit too obvious? ;-)

It’s a shame that our MPs waste their/our time with this sort of stuff when there are real internet governance issues to work on—including privacy of communications, the plague of spam, net neutrality, competitive access to municipal WiFi infrastructure, allowing internet-based TV re-broadcasting, and more!


The proposed law


MIchael Geist's comment