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The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission will allow internet service providers such as Rogers Communications and Bell Canada to engage in “traffic shaping” to control the amount of Web traffic over their networks, but the practice must be transparent to users and take place only when necessary.In a decision released Tuesday, the CRTC said retail customers must be told in advance what means are being used to control Internet traffic, and how it will affect their service.When the big telecom companies sell their services to smaller Internet providers who piggyback off their networks, there must be no competitive discrimination, the CRTC said.Traffic shaping involves slowing down or “throttling” some kinds of Internet traffic – usually downloads – using a process that is similar to allocating certain lanes on a highway to slow-moving trucks to ease the flow of traffic in other lanes.Internet service providers employ the practice, which slows down service to some users, to manage and prioritize online traffic during high-volume periods.Critics say the practice violates the principal of “net neutrality,” the idea that all Internet traffic should be treated equally.In its ruling the CRTC said home customers will have to be told 30 days in advance if their service provider is going to use some form of traffic management, and how it will affect their service. Wholesale customers – such as smaller service providers – must get 60 days notice.
