As much as I hate, truly hate, to borrow anything from the one note mind of that attention seeking machine, Michael Moore. I must admit that his very first effort, the simply named, Roger and Me, was a classic for the ages. I think he really wrote the book on movie length documentaries as the natural evolutional tool of "Gotcha'" journalism. The story, his story, of a radio announcer from Flint Michigan, crisscrossing the country trying to nail an interview with the then Chairman of General Motors, Roger Smith, in an attempt to embarrass him with hard, no real answer, questions about why GM pulled out of Flint and impoverished a city and a generation or two of it's citizens was brilliantly conceived and executed.

Indeed, the hitherto unknown Moore received a well deserved Academy Award for his efforts. It is unfortunate that his then unique style has proven to be the pinnacle of his thinking. Although his fame has grown and he has become enormously rich because of his subsequent efforts, this is a sad reflection on the way modern society rewards those among us who make us laugh, sing along, or cry at the movies, and not really a meaningful measuring stick to apply to the judgement of someone's character or worthiness for praise. He has tried to repeat his formula a number of times, sticking with the game plan of picking off the low hanging fruit of what modern western citizens will react to.

Jam a microphone in front of a victim of something, anything really, and victims are not hard to find in American Society, get a tear-jerker of a quote, then ambush a politician, bureaucrat, or civic official whom may be considered responsible for the suffering of the erstwhile 'victim's" troubles and watch, (record) their squirming. No imagination required, just line 'em up and knock 'em down.

As for my dilemma, I am chasing a Roger of a different sort. Ted Rogers, he of the communications empire that is Rogers Communications Inc., is the target of my animosity and the source of my pain and I would dearly love to stick a microphone in front of his face and ask him why he is messing with my karma on a regular basis. Ted and his minions have decided that the software protocol known as bit torrent is bad for his profitability and he is actively inhibiting my ability to download files from the Interweb using this protocol.

Bit Torrent is a concept for the modern world. The almost perfect tool for the sharing of information, data, programs and multi-media files. Just the thing to allow folks to realise the promise of the usefulness of the Internet that was conjured up by the advertising geniuses working for the very same Rogers Inc. that coerced you into paying $50 a month for life to Ted and his family in the first place. Live the Dream, download movies, music, Television and chat online with new friends all around the world starting at $29.95. At least, you can do all that until it hurts Ted.

Now it seems that there is a little tarnish on the Dream. Even though you may pay $50 a month for 5 MB download speed and 100 GB a month of data transfer, Ted's boys have decided that if you actually use a piece of software that lets you come close to using that speed or transfer amount (bandwidth) they will declare you an enemy of peace and tranquility and degrade your speed to a few KB's of transfer thus making your Hi Priced, Hi Speed internet use, useless. This action on their part turns loading a web page, normally a few milliseconds of activity, into a 50 second ordeal designed to make you break something in frustration. This is what Rogers calls Traffic Shaping and they seem quite proud of it, although they spent the better part of the last year denying that they engaged in such a practice.

If this effort at Customer Behaviour Modification isn't enough, they also have been blocking access to the more popular Bit Torrent information sites. Most particularly a site " www.rlslog.net " which is a blog that talks about the latest file sharing releases available on the web. It doesn't host any files, you cannot download anything from this site, you just (used to be able to) go there and read some reviews on a web page. Unless you are a Rogers Customer that is. When I could not reach the site for a week or two I just thought that they were experiencing tech troubles, this happens. But as I began to read at various sites other people referencing Rlslog I suspected that Ted was up to a new trick and when I changed (sorry, geek speak) my proxy server address to avoid Ted's scrutiny, Rlslog popped right up without a problem.

When this kind of URL censorship goes on in China we go nuts here in the west. We post petitions, various "Activists" post nasty thoughts about China's worthiness to host the Summer Olympics and belong to the UN or take their place in the world community. But Ted just sends out his talking heads to first deny and then imply that anyone using such software is obviously some kind of terrorist, thief or at the very least a "system abuser" and "bandwidth hog" who is threatening the peaceful internet usage of all Canadians.

This is wrong folks, and if it is not illegal for Ted to do this it damn well should be. Charge you $50 a month for 5MB speed and 100 GB of data transfer and then do everything they can to make it impossible for you to use that much speed or bandwidth? Wrong. Their arguments are weak and without any merit. It is like the phone company saying to you that they are limiting your calls to local calls to people that they approved of and only personal calls at that because they discovered that you were sending FAXES over their phone lines and using up their precious lines.

Looking for suggestions. Already thought of, changing providers, ( I don't appear to have any other Hi Speed options), writing a politician, the CRTC or even Small Claims Court. Email me if you have a better idea. I would welcome the help. Sympathy would be good too.

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