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Canadian PM Tweets That CRTC Usage Based Billing Decision Will Be Reviewed

Posted in Commentary with tags , on February 1, 2011 by itnerd

This might be a shrewd use of social media to get votes, but Canadian Prime Minister Steven Harper left this Tweet today on his Twitter feed:

We’re very concerned about CRTC’s decision on usage-based billing and its impact on consumers. I’ve asked for a review of the decision.

This is very good news for Canadian Internet users. You can expect that Bell, Rogers, and Telus don’t like this news as the last time that the Canadian government reviewed a decision that the CRTC made, the government gave Wind Mobile the green light to operate in Canada. Hopefully the decision comes before March 1st which is when usage based billing goes into effect. In the meantime, I would suggest that Canadians Tweet the Prime Minister as well as use on-line petitions such as this one to let Canadian politicians know how craptastic this decision is.

When the Canadian government is done with this issue, perhaps they can move on to abolishing the CRTC?

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Industry Minister Looking At Usage Based Billing [UPDATED]

Posted in Commentary with tags , on January 31, 2011 by itnerd

I’m not sure if this is reason to be hopeful, but Canadian Industry Minister Tony Clement is apparently looking at the recent craptastic decision made by the CRTC to implement usage based billing:

“I can assure that, as with any ruling, this decision will be studied carefully to ensure that competition, innovation and consumers were all fairly considered,” Mr. Clement said in a statement obtained by The Globe and Mail.

I for one hope that he makes a similar decision like the one he made in regards to Wind Mobile where he let them into the Canadian marketplace even though the CRTC said no. Remember, Internet users in Canada are watching you Mr. Clement. Given that this could be an election year in Canada, I’m sure they’ll have very long memories when they go to the ballot box.

UPDATE: Here’s the full statement from Tony Clement’s website.

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The CRTC Proves Once Again That They’re Out Of Touch With Canadian Internet Users

Posted in Commentary with tags , , on January 25, 2011 by itnerd

The Canadian government body that I (along with most Canadians) love to hate is at it again. The CRTC reaffirmed their earlier usage based billing decision today which spells the end of an Internet that is affordable and usable by Canadians:

Larger telecom providers, such as Telus Corp. and BCE’s Bell are mandated to lease network space to smaller providers across the country. Many smaller providers often offer popular unlimited packages that allow users to download as much content as they want, whereas the larger providers often have download “caps,” with strict extra charges for going over the limits.

The decision, small providers say, effectively destroys their ability to offer such unlimited packages in the future. Large providers, however, argue it’s necessary in an era when some consumers download lots of TV shows and movies that they say clogs their networks. The regulator, as it usually does, has attempted to find middle ground. While the CRTC is allowing large providers to charge usage-based billing to smaller, “wholesale” Internet firms, it has mandated larger providers give them bandwidth for 15 per cent less than their own retail customers.

This is proof positive that the CRTC needs to die. Why? This decision pretty much kills services like Netflix, Youtube, or any other media rich service. So Canadians will have to put up with whatever Rogers, Bell, Telus choose to give Canadians. The other thing that needs to happen is that the Canadian telco market has to be opened to foreign competition. I guarantee that those three telcos would make themselves way more competitive if someone like a Deutsche Telekom came in here, set up their own network and offered unlimited telco services for way less than the “big three.” Fortunately, Canadians have a government that seems to be partial to that. Hopefully they do the right thing and make the Canadian telco market much better for Canadians. Until then, Canadians better bend over and lube up as they’re going to get screwed by Bell, Rogers, and Telus, and the CRTC is going to stand by and do nothing.

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Bell Fined Big Time For Telemarketing Violations…. You Have To Love It!

Posted in Commentary with tags , , on December 20, 2010 by itnerd

You have to appreciate the irony in this situation. Bell who is in charge of that “Do Not Call” list that I told you about a while ago, got fined by the CRTC to the tune of $1.3 million for telemarketing to people on that list:

The CRTC said Bell hired independent telemarketers to pitch the telecom provider’s TV, wireless, Internet and home phone services to numbers registered with the Do Not Call List, where Canadians sick of telemarketing calls can register their numbers.

That’s pretty dumb. What did Bell have to say about this? Here’s what a statement from the telco said:

In a release, Bell said the telemarketers, working under contract, had not only violated the CRTC’s list, but had also violated Bell’s own internal list of people who did not want to receive calls. The company said it had “terminated its relationships with two telemarketers and suspended several others” after the investigation.

Sure. Right. Here’s what the CRTC had to say:

“All telemarketers must respect the wishes of Canadians who have registered their telephone number on the National [Do Not Call List] or requested that a telemarketer include their number on its internal do not call list,” Andrea Rosen, the CRTC’s chief telecommunications enforcement officer said in a release. “Even though the calls in this instance were made by third parties, Bell Canada must ultimately ensure that the rules are followed.”

Hopefully this has a ripple effect, I’ve registered my number with the do not call but still get telemarketers calling me. Hopefully now when I threaten to report them, they`ll realize the severity of it and take me off their list. That would include Bell.

 

 

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CRTC Allows Bell To Screw Canadian Internet Users

Posted in Commentary with tags , , on October 29, 2010 by itnerd

Remember when Bell started to throttle wholesale ISPs without telling them, and then went to the CRTC to get the right to implement usage based billing even if they didn’t get what they want. Well, in 88 days, Canadian DSL users will get usage based billing:

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.

So it’s official. Canada not only has the highest cell phone rates, but they have the highest prices for Internet Access too. The big losers are the Canadian consumer as usual. So much for the CRTC protecting consumers. I guess that’s why Canadians want the CRTC abolished. Can’t say I don’t disagree. If you have Canadian telcos like Bell who screw consumers, and the CRTC protects them, what good are they. It makes you wish that there was real competition for telco services in Canada rather than the oligopoly that exists at the moment.

In the meantime, a petition has cropped up to try and stop this. Canadian Internet users should give it a look and sign it to show the telcos and the CRTC that this is an idea that is beyond stupid.

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Another Day, Another CRTC Decision Goes Against Bell, Telus And Others

Posted in Commentary with tags , on August 31, 2010 by itnerd

Yesterday Bell along with their “friends” Rogers and Telus lost a decision to keep resellers from reselling Internet services at the same speeds that they do. Today according to the CBC the CRTC said that they along with Aliant and MTS Allstream must give refunds to customers who were overcharged between 2002 and 2006, but they also must now supply DSL to rural areas:

The phone companies, including Bell Aliant and MTS Allstream, must give refunds to customers who were overcharged between 2002 and 2006. The rebates will be between $25 and $90 per customer, the CRTC said Tuesday.

The regulator also approved a plan for the deployment of broadband internet to 287 rural and remote communities at a cost of $421 million, with roll-out taking place over the next four years.

“Today’s announcement is a positive solution for Canadian consumers,” CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein said in a statement. “Subscribers of the major telephone companies in urban areas will enjoy a rebate on their home telephone service. And residents in hundreds of rural communities will soon be able to take advantage of the many social and economic benefits broadband internet access provides.”

That’s the simple explanation. The decision is more complex than that and I encourage that you read the full article to see what’s behind this.

This might shock you, but Telus is cool with this:

Michael Hennessy, senior vice-president of regulatory and government affairs at Telus, said the company is looking forward to connecting the smaller communities.

“We share that priority with the federal government,” he said. “It is unfortunate the commission reduced the amount we can spend on connecting communities by $20 million. [That] may make it more challenging.”

The fact that Bell isn’t thrilled about this won’t come as a shock to Canadians:

Bell spokesperson Jacqueline Michelis said the company is considering its options.

“It’s unfortunate that the CRTC has denied customers in these rural and remote communities access to the latest broadband network technology and advanced services,” she said.

“The CRTC does not have the expertise to choose technologies. Providing we meet any service requirements set out by the CRTC, technology choices should be left to the service providers.”

Suck it up Bell. If your “buddies” see no issue with delivering this service (other than the cash that they have to spend), then you shouldn’t either.

I can’t wait to get my cheque. I’m sure other Canadians are as well.

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CRTC Says That Resellers Must Have The Same Access To The Canadian Internet As Incumbents

Posted in Commentary with tags , on August 30, 2010 by itnerd

If you’re Bell, Telus, Rogers or some other major Canadian Internet provider, you have to be a bit upset right now. That’s because the CRTC has ruled that companies who resell Internet access on their networks have to have the same access to speeds that the incumbents have:

The decision is a blow to Canada’s entrenched telcos, which had appealed an earlier version of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunication Commission’s decision to the federal cabinet, it may alter the expansion of advanced networks across the country and into rural areas.

I have to admit, I’m happy about this. I get my Internet access from a DSL reseller called Teksavvy and I’ve been stuck at 5Mbps downstream/800Kbps upstream. The problem is that Bell has speeds that are much faster than that. That’s not even remotely fair and it’s good that the CRTC has seen fit to take this action. However, before Internet users in Canada stop traffic and hold a parade, they may want to note this:

Another appeal to cabinet is still possible. Telus said it is mulling further action and a spokesperson for Industry Minister Tony Clement said another review remains possible. “Because the decision by the CRTC can be reviewed by the Governor in Council, it would be inappropriate to comment further,” the spokesperson said in an e-mail message.

Lovely. But at least there’s some progress on this front. That’s a good thing.

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Bell Canada Appeals CRTC Usage Based Ruling…. WTF?

Posted in Commentary with tags , , on May 27, 2010 by itnerd

I don’t get it.

Bell Canada got exactly what it wanted when it comes to usage based billing, except for the fact that it will have to move all of their customers to the same scheme. That last point alone was enough for Bell Canada to appeal the decision:

In a letter to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission dated May 25, the company said the requirement is unfair, because it shows favouritism to cable internet providers, who are under no similar obligations. Bell also said the CRTC has shown favouritism to cable companies on several occasions by more quickly processing their requests on issues such as wholesale rate changes.

“This … has the effect of skewing the market for these services by introducing uncertainty and delay into the approval process for the [Bell] services, while continuing to, in effect, rubber stamp rate and service proposals presented by the cable companies,” the letter said.

Bell said it intends to apply to the CRTC for a “review-and-vary,” or a request that the regulator re-examine and change its ruling, in the coming days.

The majority of Bell’s retail internet customers are already on usage-based plans, which the company implemented several years ago. Some customers, who are on “grandfathered” unlimited download plans, would need to be moved onto usage-based services.

The only thing that I can think of is that they’re afraid that their customers and maybe some wholesale DSL customers will go running to cable based Internet resold by companies like Teksavvy and 3Web if they take those grandfathered users and punt them to a usage based billing plan. If this is the case, then I guess that Bell Canada is living proof of the phrase “be careful what you wish for because you just might get it.”

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Usage Based Billing Approved By CRTC…. Canadian DSL Users Get Screwed

Posted in Commentary with tags , on May 6, 2010 by itnerd

It’s a sad day in Canada. The CRTC has condemned DSL users in Canada to being screwed by Bell Canada by approving usage based billing to ISPs that resell Bell Canada DSL service. The CBC does report that there is a catch:

The regulator attached a key caveat to the approval, however, in that Bell must apply usage-based billing to all of its retail customers before it can implement the scheme with its wholesale internet service providers.

Bell will therefore need to move any customers it has on unlimited downloading services onto new usage-based plans before it can apply the same scheme on a wholesale basis.

This is a useless condition. Bell has moved it’s high speed Internet users to usage based billing schemes ages ago. So the fact that this is in the decision means nothing.

All that this decision does is reduce competition by making independent ISPs just like Bell, but without Bell’s revenue structure. The net result is that they’ll be run out of business. Thus limiting choice for Canadian Consumers. That’s not a shock given that the CRTC is founded and consists of members of the telecom industry. The only way for crap like this from happening is to ditch the CRTC, which is something that I’ve written about previously.

Until that happens, it’s time to for Canadians to send their MP an e-mail telling them to fight this rather craptastic decision.

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CRTC Says “TV Tax” Is Good To Go… Or Not….

Posted in Commentary with tags , , on March 22, 2010 by itnerd

The CRTC has made a decision about the “TV Tax” and I’m going to go out on a limb and say that you won’t like this one bit. According to the CRTC via this release, the “TV Tax” is good to go:

As part of its framework, the Commission has set out a market-based solution to allow private local television stations to negotiate with cable and satellite companies. Each television station would have the option of entering into negotiations to establish a fair value for the distribution of their programs.

“The current dispute between conventional broadcasters and distributors threatens the overall integrity of the broadcasting system,” said Mr. von Finckenstein. “Broadcasters and distributors have a symbiotic relationship. The time has come for them to put their differences aside and work together to ensure the continuation of conventional television, which Canadians clearly value.”

But wait. The CRTC has also decided that the Federal Court Of Canada has to decide if they even have jurisdiction:

During its proceeding, the CRTC received conflicting legal opinions as to whether it has the authority to implement a negotiation regime. Given that this issue is vital to the future of conventional television, the Commission has initiated a reference to the Federal Court of Appeal seeking clarification on its jurisdiction under the Broadcasting Act. The CRTC has asked the Court to consider its request on an expedited basis.

So let’s get this straight. The CRTC wants local broadcasters to charge for the programming that they provide, but they want someone else to decide if they can actually do it.

That’s uber lame.

It gets worse. If this goes through, Canadian consumers will get hit with a larger TV bill. Here’s what my least favorite company Bell Canada had to say about that via the CBC:

Monday’s decision riled the cable and satellite firms, (known as broadcast distribution undertakings, or BDUs), which have argued that — under the Broadcast Act — the CRTC doesn’t have the authority to force them to pay for conventional TV signals.

They have vowed that if the CRTC imposes any new fees, they will pass these directly on to consumers.

“It’s an inappropriate decision, and it’s bad for consumers,” said Mirko Bibic, Bell’s head of regulatory affairs, on Monday afternoon from Gatineau.

“We will argue that the CRTC doesn’t have the jurisdiction — I firmly believe they don’t — and hopefully, we’ll win in court.”

Lovely. I’m going to guess that Rogers, Telus, Shaw and Cogeco feel the same.

But I have a solution to this problem. Let broadcasters charge for their programming. But at the same time the TV providers have to, or be forced to allow consumers to pick the TV channels that they want rather than be forced into packages by the TV providers. That way consumers can decide if the broadcasters programming is worth whatever they’re charging. Broadcasters will have to step up their game or face extinction. Simple.

Of course I don’t see a sudden outbreak of common sense happening anytime soon, so Canadians will have to stay tuned to see what happens next.

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