Article content continued

But using Reddit is a way to get comments from individuals who otherwise wouldn’t participate in a government process, CRTC spokeswoman Patricia Valladao wrote in an email. The new consultation method fits with the watchdog’s new “digital first” policy, she added.

“The CRTC has noticed that discussions on differential pricing and our process were already taking place on Reddit,” Valladao wrote. “This is a great opportunity to get comments from interested individuals who might not otherwise participate in this proceeding to share their points of view.”

All comments will become part of the public record, but the government body deletes comments that include racist or sexist language, hate speech or personal attacks. Reddit users joked that inappropriate names (some featuring female body parts) could end up on the public record, whereas others hoped the group would keep it clean so the regulator would actually listen.

“I really hope the community as a whole doesn’t mess this up. Last thing we need is the organization… to write us off as a bunch of idiots and never do this again,” one user wrote.

Contrary to expectations, the discussion remained largely respectful after more than 140 users commented on the first day. Not surprisingly for a site that attracts frequent Internet users that skew younger, the discussion tilted against differential pricing with many people arguing for a ban on data caps entirely.