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Usage Based Billing approved, Canadian govt shoots it down, more developments to come
- Thread starter Anony
- Start date
Still, I'm quite shocked that there has been almost no visible resistance by those corporate interests that are getting screwed by this. Where is Netflix, Youtube, Amazon, Apple, Valve, and all the others who depend on fair internet connections to distribute their media or to support cloud storage and backup solutions? Usually the only thing protecting consumers tends to be other companies that want to get customers money instead of the initial company screwing the customer over.
Shambles said:
Netflix did release something more or less saying "Well, that's a bit shit innit?"
http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Punitive+bandwidth+charges+worry+Netflix/4202403/story.html
No indication that they want to do anything about it though. It mostly just seems to be "Eehhhh.. sorry about this.. um, it's not our fault, please don't sell your stock?
Don't fall for bullshit politics, hold accountability to the liberals guys. Only vote for them if they say they will also look into ammending canadian competition laws that prevent shit like bell/rogers pissing in everyones cheerios everyday (tv, internet, cellphone prices out the ass, etc etc!)
Otherwise, everything will just remain the same overall... sigh.
Otherwise, everything will just remain the same overall... sigh.
YakiSOBA said:
And you thusly unveil the problem. The 'Liberal' vote is always divided between the NDP, and the LPC. So, the Tories can ease into another comfortable win.
I don't really expect huge changes, whoever is leading the country. They all know who lines their pockets, and they're only using this public outrage as a platform for votes.
None the less, I'll vote for whoever can strike UBB dead.
It's pretty pathetic for the NDP that the Liberals beat the NDP to having a concrete, organized stand against UBB even though an NDP MP was way ahead of the pack (ahead of the petition even) in terms of speaking out about the issue. This is an issue that the NDP should have owned but they squandered the opportunity. They're going to have to be a lot more organized than this if they're going to do well in the possible upcoming spring election.
I'm very pleased that the Liberal Party is on board. Let's keep this ball rolling!
I'm very pleased that the Liberal Party is on board. Let's keep this ball rolling!
Oh I guess the NDP is officially for ditching UBB. They're sort of just letting Angus run with it. http://www.ndp.ca/press/canadians-lose-out-with-internet-metered-billing
I think the Liberals are handling it better, making it more clear that the party is behind it.
I think the Liberals are handling it better, making it more clear that the party is behind it.
someguyinahat
Member
Zombie James said:
The Globe and Mail - a BELL Globe Media Publishing company - calls digital caps a necessary evil? I daresay, my monocle has flown off my face in shock!
If there is no looming federal election, this will be the most likely outcome. If the budget vote fails, there is a chance - albeit a small one - that this becomes one of the election issues.
dream
Member
Tiktaalik said:
heh, as someone who's been voting NDP for as long as I've been able to, this is what life is like as an NDP supporter. :/
Layton is kind of an older version of a college kid who is determined to change the world after the next bong hit.
edit: that said, it's good to see the NDP helping raise awareness of the conflicts of interest that are going on here.
Stumpokapow
listen to the mad man
DopeyFish said:
Stockwell Day had made it a MAJOR policy plank for the Canadian Alliance; 3% sign a petition, we get a referendum. Mercer just took the piss out of him marvelously. That policy never came up again
DopeyFish said:
I know it won't, but I do hope this spirals into our other monopolized markets; notably cell phone.
If anything, at least other companies are looking to build their own infrastructure now in populated areas. And makes having access to 'Korean-Like' speeds in and around major metro areas will scare the giants into actually trying.
Of course, this all hinges on UBB being struck down, and not having the ruling amended.
someguyinahat
Member
Lard said:
I predict at least one of them will respond with an image macro depicting sunglasses lowering onto a cartoon dog's eyes.
Zombie James
Banned
I don't know why it's going to take them a whole month to strike down the CRTC. Only gives more time for Bell and Rogers to lobby bribe the Conservatives.
http://www.cbc.ca/politics/story/2011/02/01/internet-usage-based-billing-clement.html
Article on Harper's plan to review before March 1st
Article on Harper's plan to review before March 1st
TheRagnCajun
Member
dream said:
Yeah I'd say the party is over for CRTC. They have given the public a good enough reason to rally against them, and now this has become bigger than they are. I can only hope that the review exposes corruption and calls for the CRTC to be restructured and held to a higher degree of accountability....
...one can hope.
-Pyromaniac-
Member
I don't understand why Harper wouldn't just outright reject this. Seems like the easiest votes a person can make. Nobody really supports this decision outside of investors or something, so you wouldn't be upsetting anyone that matters, and you'd get a lot of supporters for the upcoming election. DO IT.
TheRagnCajun
Member
-Pyromaniac- said:
Yeah its not even pro-business. UBB is just pro-Rogers/Bell/Shaw. The thing is, you can tell them to suck it up and there's nothing they can do, they're not taking their business elsewhere. There's no reason to make them happy.
TheRagnCajun said:
Living in Edmonton it seems the only real ISP choices out here are Telus and Shaw. I'm already shifting my business away from Bell/Rogers as they seem to be the largest assholes behind this. For the time being it seems like Shaw has been relatively uninvolved, have they come into this story at all. Also just for interests sake as far as ISPs go out west are there any real alternatives to Shaw/Telus?
-Pyromaniac- said:
Bell owns 15% of CTVGlobemedia, and is in the process of acquiring the next 85%. That's CTV and the CHUM network.
Rogers owns OMNI, CityTV, a bunch of radio stations, and a bunch of print properties, including Macleans' and L'Actualité.
Québécor (Videotron) owns the Sun chain of newspapers, the Journal de Montréal and Journal de Québec, Osprey Media, Canoe, and TVA.
Shaw owns Canwest Global.
If you go against the ISPs, you're going against the entire canadian media, bar CBC, The Globe & Mail, Toronto Star, La Presse, and National Post. That's why Harper wouldn't just outright reject this.
TheRagnCajun
Member
Oxymoron said:
So basically all the decent news outlets are still on your side.
I wouldn't be surprised if the Conservative government does reverse this though they may adopt a mushy compromise position and simply ask the CRTC to review the decision. It really is an obvious slam dunk to not support this.
As the previous poster mentioned however, the corporations involved control the Canadian media, and this media already tilts Conservative.
Clement is going to review the decision http://twitter.com/#!/TonyClement_MP/status/32511302500876288
As the previous poster mentioned however, the corporations involved control the Canadian media, and this media already tilts Conservative.
Clement is going to review the decision http://twitter.com/#!/TonyClement_MP/status/32511302500876288
Mark Goldberg on that G&M article sure comes off as a Telecomm homer, but he's apparently a long-timer in the industry for over 30 years. So it's no wonder. He reiterates many times 'No one is forcing these smaller ISPs to charge more, or to go without unlimited'. I guess he just wants them to eat the overages?
And near the end of the article, they start talking about 'time of use' billing. Horrific. If internet billing becomes like cell phones (peak hours, pay by email ala text, etc), I might just snap.
And near the end of the article, they start talking about 'time of use' billing. Horrific. If internet billing becomes like cell phones (peak hours, pay by email ala text, etc), I might just snap.
Zombie James
Banned
Acanac's plans: http://www.acanac.com/Dear Acanac Customer.pdf
Wonder if 12.5KB/s would be good enough for some online games.
Wonder if 12.5KB/s would be good enough for some online games.
Fatghost said:
I haven't been following this one as closely. For those who haven't been keeping track C-32 is the copyright modernization legislation. It has several controversial parts. Of particular concern is the provision which would make it illegal to break digital locks. I know that the NDP is strongly against this provision and it seems that the Liberals also seem to be on that side. Their site says they'd "Address the overly-restrictive digital lock provisions for personal uses" and quotes from their industry critic Marc Garneau suggest that he'd seek some sort of exemption so that locks could be broken for personal, non-commercial use.
Both parties seem to consider the bill broken and are seeking amendments but there are some differences. I haven't read too much into that yet to see which I like better.
It's worth noting that when the Liberals were in government they were heavily in bed with the recording industry and were adopting the position that the Conservatives have today. In the past the Liberals run from the left and govern from the right.
Zombie James
Banned
FYI, 12.5KB/s x 30 days = 32.4GB, which is double what Bell says they can handle
.
lol
The Bookerman
Member
Stumpokapow said:
Oups, forget that post, I re-read your post.
Simon Belmont
Banned
Stumpokapow said:
That is a good point, but I would hope the inevitable populist backlash against universally higher internet bills will trump who owns what media outlets. Also, Harper's shown before that he has basically no problem saying 'Eff You' to most of the major media outlets, as he knows he'll always have the National Post on his side.
Ricker said:
http://affaires.videotron.com/web/pme/internet/AccesInternet.do?lang=ENGLISH&target=accesinternet
Theres your solution, it wont affect videotron as far as i know, but if youre lookin to get unlimited ,i went with a business line at home , i download a LOT and never got a warning.
Cheers
EDIT : oh i see you have unlimited...nevermind , however ill leave the link for the quebecers interested in getting unlimited with videotron.
Zombie James
Banned
http://watch.ctv.ca/news/latest/internet-ruling/#clip411152
Interview with Clement. "A matter of days."
Interview with Clement. "A matter of days."
Simon Belmont
Banned
I basically wouldn't trust the Harper Government to sit the right way on a toilet seat, but I'd have a hard time imagining them dropping the ball on this one. This is a bullshit populist issue being hand delivered to a Government that's pretty much only good at bullshit populist issues.