A new report shows the federal Liberals and New Democrats have expressed support for the principle of “net neutrality” while the Conservatives have failed to clarify their position.

In December 2009, the SaveOurNet Coalition began a campaign calling for the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to regularly audit Internet service providers to ensure they comply with guidelines around the management of online activity.

According to SaveOurNet, the three main federal political parties were also asked to state their positions on net neutrality, a principle which holds that Internet users “be free to use any equipment, content, application, or service on a non-discriminatory basis, without interference from the network provider”.

In the report released today (October 13), SaveOurNet revealed that the Liberals and NDP support both the creation of laws around net neutrality and the call for regular compliance audits by the commission.

The report also shows that Industry Minister Tony Clement has responded to the SaveOurNet-led campaign, but the government has not responded to requests to explain its stance on net neutrality and the compliance audits.