Internet 'crucial part' of life: Tony Clement:

Industry Minister Tony Clement stood firm against questioning of his decision to overturn new and controversial Internet billing rules allowed by the CRTC. Access to the Internet is "more than just important," Clement said at a House of Commons committee. It is "fast-becoming a crucial part" of the social and economic life of the country. In this context, in which new technologies are changing the economy "at light speed," the Conservative cabinet's move last month to reverse the telecom regulator's decision to impose so-called "usagebased billing" on small, independent wholesale providers was necessary to keep major network owners such as BCE Inc. from raising rates and affecting user habits.