The CRTC just announced they will reexamine metered billing practices. They are seeking public input right now! This is a huge opportunity to stop Internet metering, and to ensure Canadians have access to an unlimited Internet.
Please take a moment to send the CRTC a message here: http://openmedia.ca/crtc
OpenMedia.ca asked Canadians to send Ottawa a message about Internet metering, and wow did you ever respond – over 420,000 signed the petition!
The CRTC's move to review the imposition of billing practices through a public process is in direct response to our petition - they even cited the "public outcry".
At the same time, we all know a Big Telecom-friendly compromise is being pushed behind closed doors. To avoid another industry crafted solution we urgently need to send a message to the CRTC HERE.
We must sway the CRTC now to make our previous victories stick. If we don't convince the CRTC, all could be lost - all Internet users could face a metered Internet and pay up $4 per gigabyte!
We’ve already moved politics in Canada and made it easy for politicians to champion the Internet. Let’s force the CRTC to do the same.
http://openmedia.ca/crtc
We’ve come this far, let’s not stop now
~ The OpenMedia.ca team
Support this campaign by making a small donation to our Stop the Meter Fund at: http://openmedia.ca/drive (this donation will cost you a lot less than UBB)
SOURCES:
Strombo Talks Internet Metering
http://openmedia.ca/strombo
Vancouver Sun - How B.C. activists fought off the Internet billing plan
http://www.vancouversun.com/
Georgia Straight - Geek Speak: Lindsey Pinto, OpenMedia.ca
http://www.straight.com/
Globe And Mail - A metered Internet is a regulatory failure
http://www.theglobeandmail.
Canadians Just Became World's Biggest Internet Losers
http://thetyee.ca/Mediacheck/
TorrentFreak - Massive Protest Against Canadian Bandwidth Caps
http://torrentfreak.com/
CBC Visits OpenMedia.ca
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
While I do agree that UBB was a bad move by the CRTC, I'm not sure that most people truly understand what it is. Or maybe I'm the one who doesn't understand...
ReplyDeleteMy understanding, based on several well-written articles I've read on reputable tech sites, is that UBB or more about the big telcos billing smaller "indie" ISPs that rent out their lines, and isn't a declaration that everyone is going to suddenly be charged for every GB they transfer. Some articles specifically stated that UBB in no way affects Bell, Telus, etc. and their handling of residential customers. If UBB is overturned, they're still free to raise or lower people's caps as they want.
Here's one of the articles I referred to: http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/02/sorry-about-that-canada-rushes-to-reverse-metered-billing-decision.ars
I know that when I called and spoke with Shaw they told me if I went over my alloted amount of data in a month a meter would be added to my account the previous month and I would then be charged for my data consumption. Interestingly enough I had a Shaw rep at the office last week about unrelated business and they also told me the same thing. I know it does related to the smaller ISP's and them re-selling the "lines" but it also applies to every residentail customer they have. Reading my Facebook there are a number of people there who have already received a call from their ISP (Shaw or Bell) telling them that they will be metered due to their exessive use. They indicate their kids just watch you tube a lot and have online games...
ReplyDeleteIsn't that how it's been for ages? As long as I've had ADSL service starting 8 or 9 years ago, it's always been that I had a cap of so many GB, and if I went over I would be billed for every GB on top of that.
ReplyDeleteHmm, maybe it's just that Telus is more up-front than Shaw about it. It's clearly listed on Telus' plan comparison page, but I can't find anything anywhere on the Shaw site about their overage charges. But it's definitely nothing new, since it's been this way since long before anyone dreamed up UBB.
Here is a link to a good article on the subject:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.iphoneincanada.ca/carriers/teksavvy-president-busts-user-based-billing-internet-myths/