Metered internet usage is on the way, with the CRTC handing down its final decision on how wholesale customers can be billed by large network owners.

 

The federal regulator on Thursday gave Bell Canada the approval to implement so-called usage-based billing to wholesale customers usually smaller internet service providers that rent portions of its network within 90 days. Under the plan, Bell will charge wholesale service providers a flat monthly fee to connect to its network, and for a set monthly usage limit per each ISP customer the ISP has.

 

Beyond that set limit, users will be charged per gigabyte, depending on the speed of their connections. Customers using the fastest connections of five megabits per second, for example, will have a monthly allotment of 60 GB, beyond which Bell will charge $1.12 per GB to a maximum of $22.50.

 

If a customer uses more than 300 GB a month, Bell will also be able to implement an additional charge of 75 cents per gigabyte.

http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2010/10/28/crtc-usage-based-billing-internet.html

 

 

 

So basically our government funds Bell to build an infrastructure. Bell then whines that it "can't cover its costs" (read: not ripping Canadians off enough) and gets its buddy the CRTC to legally smackdown any other ISP that wants to get into the business.

 

Actual good ISPs like TekSavvy are now being forced to charge per-GB rates that would be really competitive if they were for a goddamn cellphone plan.

 

Enjoy your internets while you can.

 

http://openmedia.ca/meter

http://www.antiubb.com/what-can-i-do/

 

Glad I'm not affected by this...yet. I'm with MTS, so until they decide to do the same I'm golden.

 

Bell, Shaw, and Rogers however...

Rogers has already been like that for years. I've been with Rogers for years for better prices and much better customer service than Bell even though Bell didn't have the limit that Rogers has.

Here's a pretty good article

 

http://stopusagebasedbilling.wordpress.com/2010/05/10/why-do-bell-and-rogers-have-customers/

Bandwidth isn't stockpiled. It's generated as demanded. If I didn't read this post, I wouldn't have used this bandwidth, and whether I used this bandwidth or not, Bell would have paid the same amount to manage their network.

 

Bell has had to cover some of the cost of some of this subsidized infrastructure, but the cost of the DSLAMs have probably been covered for a few years. Network maintenance happens, but it's less than the cost of maintenance + costs. Bell is also a retail ISP, and one who had a few years head start on a service monopoly - one who charged their customers a premium on that service monopoly - and until they were directed to do so, they didn't offer DSL wholesale services.

 

Before the ruling, Bell generated at least $22.50 per ISP DSL connection - if you have a dry loop, there's an additional band charge (about $10), but most customers have landlines. For each Teksavvy customer paying $32.50, Teksavvy received $10 to cover their unlimited bandwidth packages plus other services that customers added but which the incumbents didn't offer.

 

Under the new pricing system, Teksavvy still generates about $10 per connection, but they are now tasked with collecting Bell's cost of bandwidth from their customers at $1.90/GB ($1.75 is the wholesale cost as scheduled by the CRTC, who agreed that Bell needed to discount the retail cost by no less than 15%. The rest is a small profit/cost recovery mechanism). This $1.90 is collected for the "last-mile" connection to the house. Compare that to less ($.50 or so) per GB rate that covers their connection to the Internet. In the past, if this 200GB/unlimited cap was broken, some of these ISPs might have even ignored it.

 

Finally, the 60GB number applies to Quebec. Ontario-based customers have been hit with a 25GB limit. If this were to cover maintenance of the system, than the caps wouldn't be region-based. In fact, the only reason for a phone package to be regional is for marketing purposes. In effect, Bell has convinced the CRTC to enable them to market by proxy the available Internet options in the region.

 

There are a lot of reasons for Canadians and canadian businesses to be pissed off. Even cable users are affected, with the major carriers heading off to the CRTC to explain that they want in on this deal. These caps would have been insufficient ten years ago, back when Bell wanted to charge $7.95/GB for exceeding their 5GB up/down split cap, and are especially bad today, when Netflix and other Internet service providers are unable to compete with Bell and Roger's own on-demand services. Meanwhile, having a DSL/landline connection has become a subsidy that pays Bell to pay its regularity affairs department to [bleep] us with costs to use a network that we helped to build.

Meh. Doesn't affect me, I'm on dial up. This entire thing is total bs, though, I can't deny that.

Eh?

Eh?

Eh?

Eh?

Sacre bleu!

Eh?

 

 

Got to admit, this is going to suck. All it's going to end up as is widening the pockets of the CEOs.

 

Speaking of which... I suppose there'll be a market out now for thicker wallets....

 

Got to admit, this is going to suck. All it's going to end up as is widening the pockets of the CEOs.

 

 

So much for government acting in it's citizens interests and not the interest of corporations

Which is why deregulation is necessary. If multiple ISPs existed to compete for peoples' business this would not be a problem - no one in their right mind would charge per GB if they had to worry about competition

Which is why deregulation is necessary. If multiple ISPs existed to compete for peoples' business this would not be a problem - no one in their right mind would charge per GB if they had to worry about competition

 

Know what I don't get? Why the [bleep] can't I use ISPs outside my country? Why does the government get to choose which ones I can and cannot use?

This is such [cabbage].... We have the worst Internet and cell phone service in all the developed countries what the [bleep].

*smashes blender*

Ouch, sorry Canada. I feel your pain.

This is such [cabbage].... We have the worst Internet and cell phone service in all the developed countries what the [bleep].

*smashes blender*

This. If they start metering I'll look into switching..

Might be hope, the Libs and NDP are against it

 

http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2011/01/31/technology-internet-usage-based-billing-clement-garneau.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How long until this?

Might be hope, the Libs and NDP are against it

 

http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2011/01/31/technology-internet-usage-based-billing-clement-garneau.html

 

Those two pictures are about two different situations. The first picture is about metered internet usage. The second one is about net neutrality. Metered internet usage sucks, but there isn't anything specifically wrong with it, people who use more will have to pay more, like most every other service. However the second picture is about net neutrality which is specifically about completely denying certain parts of the internet, generally based on protocols (ie shutting down the bittorrent protocol). Accessing certain websites only available at a premium is also possible without net neutrality (like in the picture). Net neutrality is specifically about equal opportunity for all internet businesses.

Son of a ...

 

My fellow Canadians, I propose that we have a Youth Revolution, with no aim, but to promote socialism and laziness in our great country as we push to make the CRTC more progressive and less... developmentally delayed... I think that's politically correct? :shades:

 

Vive le Canada indolent!

Metered internet usage sucks, but there isn't anything specifically wrong with it

 

Yes there is, Bell is charging extra for something that doesn't cost them anything, but arguing it does. And also practically getting a monopoly paid for by the government. And another thing about this metered BS, if I go UNDER the cap, why don't I get money back or some sort of discount?

 

 

Fair enough on the pictures though, forgot about net neutrality

 

Couple years old, but still good. And yes, that is Rwanda

That's interesting.

 

Still, I'd say they need to drastically slice the pricing down. That is absurd.

I signed both petitions. Disolve the CRTC and Stop the counter on internet usage.

Canadian revolution?

 

It's all the rage over in the middle east...

This is such [cabbage].... We have the worst Internet and cell phone service in all the developed countries what the [bleep].

*smashes blender*

Pretty sure Australia tops over Canada with "Worse Internet", Dunno about cellphones.