Terms of restriction

"Initially developed by universities and the military, the speed at which the Internet was embraced by the general public during the mid-nineteen-nineties took governments and commercial interests by surprise. It allowed for a new form of discourse, where anyone could log-on and, at no additional cost, enter into conversations and debates with millions of other Internet users. This new medium for communicating information allowed individuals to overcome existing financial and spatial barriers and thereby engage in new forms of critical political dialogue. Internet communities have flourished and existing corporate media companies, experienced at producing and distributing content to audiences of consumers, have had to adapt to audiences that increasingly demand the right to create and distribute content themselves. Many governments, Canada included, have chosen to leave the Internet and its infrastructure largely unregulated, believing that existing legislation would suffice (Canadian Radio Television and Telecommunications Commission. CRTC Won't Regulate the Internet). In contrast to traditional media enterprises already dominated by commercial interests, the Internet seemed to be a medium where commercial and public interests could successfully coexist, and where individuals could engage in critical dialogue, share ideas, and shape discourse and opinions offline as well as online."--Introduction.