More ISPs unite with CAIP coalition to fight for fair competition

June 3, 2009 - The Canadian Association of Internet Providers (CAIP) is seeing increased support from Canadian ISPs who are recognizing the need for a powerful advocacy voice to battle attempts to undermine fair competition in Canada’s telecom industry.

“We’ve been proactively advocating on behalf of small to medium sized telecommunications companies for years,” says Tom Copeland, Chair of CAIP.  “While the issues have always been critical, the attacks on fair competition and mandated access to telecommunications infrastructure on a wholesale basis are coming more frequently and with great voracity than ever.”

Independent ISPs are increasingly recognizing the importance of CAIP’s advocacy to their livelihood as more than 10 telecommunication service providers have joined CAIP in the past six months.

“We’ve had a strong base of our members stick with us since our inception in 1996, but some ISPs haven’t felt the need to contribute in the past. There was a sense that someone else would fight the battle for them,” says Copeland.  “That attitude is changing. The reality is that only a concerted effort by the industry at large will gain the political and regulatory recognition needed to make change happen.”

ISPs make a socially responsible decision when they join CAIP – to themselves and to their industry.

“CAIP fights battles with giants in the telecom industry,” says Copeland. “A small or medium sized ISP doesn’t stand a chance fighting these battles alone.  The best solution is for them to join the CAIP coalition of telecom service providers, because together we have the strength in resources and numbers needed to make a stand.”

Beyond the issues of fair access and traffic shaping, CAIP has been a leader on a number of industry fronts, including; industry best practices, copyright, online child safety, new media broadcasting, anti-SPAM legislation, and broadband internet access for all Canadians.

For more information on CAIP’s advocacy efforts, as well as the exclusive cost saving member benefits that they provide with their partners, please see “Staying Connected”, CAIP’s latest newsletter.