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[EvilMario]

But for the first time ever there is choice in the form of wind, public mobile and mobilicity. They freed spectrum and allowed foreign investment, what more could they do other than build a national wireless network?

They have to allow it in other sectors. As well, they should keep a close eye on these buyouts and conflict of interest. Every major newspaper is own by a telecom giant for instance.

And personally, I think the government should invest in this sort of network (phones, and internet) and lease it out. It's good for the growth of the country, and it means all the network isn't owned by a few mega giants that control pricing.

Not to mention the issues with the big telecoms basically false advertising (lol, 'Fibe), bullying companies (Rogers when Wind showed up), and trying to get the CRTC to basically make it impossible for Netflix to succeed (UBB)

 

[Firestorm]

But for the first time ever there is choice in the form of wind, public mobile and mobilicity. They freed spectrum and allowed foreign investment, what more could they do other than build a national wireless network?

I guess they could tell the big three to stop price fixing, but that's difficult to tackle especially when they want them to expand their HSPA networks to rural areas.

If you live in one of the major cities I guess =/

 

[Deku]

But for the first time ever there is choice in the form of wind, public mobile and mobilicity. They freed spectrum and allowed foreign investment, what more could they do other than build a national wireless network?

I guess they could tell the big three to stop price fixing, but that's difficult to tackle especially when they want them to expand their HSPA networks to rural areas.

wind won't be getting the iPhone anytime soon, nor are they positioned as smart phone carriers.

Their core business is selling low cost monthly services with $0 phones.

There was a scandal where Rogers, through their low cost brand, Chatr, tried to sabotage Mobilicity

 

[Slavik81]

I've seen attack ads from the conservatives against the liberals ever since the election campaign where Harper became PM. He's been periodically throwing out attack ads throughout the years since even without a new election just to drill his message that the liberals have weak leadership.

Yeah. It drives me nuts. I wish they would just do their job and let the results speak for themselves. Then when an election rolls around, because they spent their time doing useful things rather than constantly campaigning, they would be able to campaign on the good things they did. Instead, it's constant trash-talking.

Can we squash Bill C-32 now too?

That one's never going away. We've blocked it multiple times. The only hope is that we get enough good amendments in before people get tired and give in.

 

[Firestorm]

wind won't be getting the iPhone anytime soon, nor are they positioned as smart phone carriers.

Their core business is selling low cost monthly services with $0 phones.

There was a scandal where Rogers, through their low cost brand, Chatr, tried to sabotage Mobilicity

Most of the people I know on Mobilicity are on their $40 plan with unlimited voice/data and bought a smartphone (Android or BlackBerry).

 

[Anony]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...-decision-on-bandwith-billing/article1892522/

yeah, nice, but we're not out of the water
the CRTC needs to be dissolved

i also hope this sets a precedent for the future
as the above mentioned, the whole chatr businesses when wind launched was ridicious

 

[Zzoram]

Ya, WIND isn't a serious competitor and won't be for years. They have very small home zone coverage right now, basically just a handful of the largest cities.

In 2-3 years they may have significant coverage of medium cities.

I didn't realize they expanded their phone selection so much since launch. They had like 5 phones to pick from at launch.

Now they have the Bold 9780, Curve 3G and Pearl 3G at slightly subsidized prices (selling for ~$50 cheaper than the no contract price at Rogers/Bell) with no contract.

 

[Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew]

The moment WIND supports iPhones is the day I will make the change.

 

[Kabuki Quantum Lover]

...democracy actually works?

...WHAT?!

 

[-Pyromaniac-]

The moment WIND supports iPhones is the day I will make the change.

I jumped on Wind much earlier than I wanted to because of the 40 dollar unlimited data/voice/text/etc... plan. But I gave up my iphone 4 with fido in the process. Sad...I'm using the Nexus S now but I'd love to go back to the iphone. It's worth it in the long run though!

Hopefully they do the promo again for people waiting it out.

 

[Deku]

Most of the people I know on Mobilicity are on their $40 plan with unlimited voice/data and bought a smartphone (Android or BlackBerry).

Right, but that's not their core business. Rogers and Telus wouldn't be in such a huff launching their low cost brands and or trying to sabotage them if mobilicity and wind were just another run of the mill premium carrier charging premium prices for 3 year contracts.

 

[Uncledick]

So does this repeal of the UBB mean that Shaw can't/won't charge me an extra 2$ for every gig over my 60gb limit?

 

[TouchMyBox]

Ya, WIND isn't a serious competitor and won't be for years. They have very small home zone coverage right now, basically just a handful of the largest cities. Also they have almost no phone selection.

In 2-3 years they may have significant coverage of medium cities and some phones, but their unusual spectrum means they can't use Rogers/Bell/Telus phones so phones have to be made specifically for them, and they aren't big enough yet to get the hottest phones, only older or lower profile phones.

They have some pretty awesome phones that are compatible with their network, they just don't sell them. :\

I've had an absolute blast over the last year using wind with my nexus one. Things keep on getting better every few months too it seems. After a few months after launch their coverage improved significantly, a few months later 2.2 launches for my nexus one allowing me to use wifi tethering, a few months after that wind stopped blocking all the ports on phone data plans, and then a few months after that they along with mobilicity offered that ridiculous $40 holiday plan.

The moment WIND supports iPhones is the day I will make the change.

It's not a matter of wind supporting the iPhone, the iPhone has to support wind (AWS). Considering that AWS is gaining momentum around the world (particularly with next-gen data networks) I wouldn't be surprised if the the next iPhone or the one after that supported AWS.

 

[Firestorm]

Right, but that's not their core business. Rogers and Telus wouldn't be in such a huff launching their low cost brands and or trying to sabotage them if mobilicity and wind were just another run of the mill premium carrier charging premium prices for 3 year contracts.

Telus hasn't launched a new low cost brand since they came out. Bell re-positioned Solo though if that's what you mean.

They offer unlimited voice and data at less than Rogers and Bell. I don't know if Wind / Mobilicity are targetting your average Pay As You Go customer which feels like what you're saying they do...

 

[Zzoram]

I definitely want to go to WIND in ~3 years when my iPhone 4 contract is up. I honestly don't care if they have iPhone at that time, as long as they expand their coverage and continue having better and cheaper plans than Rogers/Bell. WIND seems to have Blackberry support and I'm probably switching back for my next phone anyways.

 

[firehawk12]

So does this repeal of the UBB mean that Shaw can't/won't charge me an extra 2$ for every gig over my 60gb limit?

Naw, people can still charge for UBB. It's just a matter of whether or not your company is "forced" to do so.

 

[Zzoram]

I think companies should use the WIND mobile data model if they're worried about bandwidth congestion.

Once you pass your cap, no fees but just start throttling your speed during peak hours. That's what WIND does to your smartphone data once you pass 5GB on their unlimited data.

For home internet that cap should obviously be higher, ideally over 100GB.

 

[EvilMario]

The moment WIND supports iPhones is the day I will make the change.

You won't need to, it'll be the moment the WIND brand is bought by Rogers.

 

[Discotheque]

I think companies should use the WIND mobile data model if they're worried about bandwidth congestion.

Once you pass your cap, no fees but just start throttling your speed during peak hours. That's what WIND does to your smartphone data once you pass 5GB on their unlimited data.

That's what they do with Internet in UK. Not ideal but much better than what we'll be having soon.

 

[Cynar]

I think companies should use the WIND mobile data model if they're worried about bandwidth congestion.

Once you pass your cap, no fees but just start throttling your speed during peak hours. That's what WIND does to your smartphone data once you pass 5GB on their unlimited data.

For home internet that cap should obviously be higher, ideally over 100GB.

They actually used to do this many years ago but decided to fuck us in the ass harder instead.

 

[WEGGLES]

I think companies should use the WIND mobile data model if they're worried about bandwidth congestion.

Once you pass your cap, no fees but just start throttling your speed during peak hours. That's what WIND does to your smartphone data once you pass 5GB on their unlimited data.

For home internet that cap should obviously be higher, ideally over 100GB.

That's a terrible idea. Bell throttles bit torrent on "peak hours" which seems to be from 3pm till... 3am?

 

[RevoDS]

You won't need to, it'll be the moment the WIND brand is bought by Rogers.

Not necessarily. A WIND/Videotron iPhone is only contingent on when (there's no if, really) T-Mobile is able to negotiate its iPhone in the US, as they all share the AWS band. Once it exists, you can be certain that both of the Canadian carriers will jump on it.

 

[Zzoram]

That's a terrible idea. Bell throttles bit torrent on "peak hours" which seems to be from 3pm till... 3am?

if they only throttle it after you hit your 60gb or 100gb cap that's not so bad, especially if it's just torrents being throttled

if netflix and other streaming video gets through fine i don't care about peak download speed

 

[BigJonsson]

Wind won't be bought, the company that is financing them is a global cell phone carrier........


I love my Wind

 

[Tremis]

can't believe how fast this campaign picked up and actually made an impact. soooo happy! suck it Bell/Rogers! Hopefully this raises the awareness of the general populace about these issues and we see more change.

 

[Tiktaalik]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...-decision-on-bandwith-billing/article1892522/

yeah, nice, but we're not out of the water
the CRTC needs to be dissolved

i also hope this sets a precedent for the future
as the above mentioned, the whole chatr businesses when wind launched was ridicious

If the CRTC was dissolved the companies would have just done whatever they wanted and there'd be no decision to repeal.

The existence of the CRTC isn't the problem, it's the direction and makeup of the organization. It needs reform.

 

[criesofthepast]

Great news!

But things are still the same for me and millions of others. Still be on my 60 cap and have to pay a $2 per GB overage fee.

Teksavvy not available where I am.

Hopefully this is the beginning of major change with telecoms in Canada.

 

[crazy monkey]

Wind won't be bought, the company that is financing them is a global cell phone carrier........


I love my Wind

same it is teh awesome. Oshawa and missisuaga are home zone for us. Rogers charged as long distance. Fuck rogers.

 

[isny]

Great news!

Teksavvy not available where I am.

Hopefully this is the beginning of major change with telecoms in Canada.

Same, stuck with using Robbers or Emily. Luckily they don't bill me for overage though. (Not yet anyways)

 

[bonesmccoy]

I'm pleased the Federal government has finally weighed in, but they need to go one further and review the CRTC's decision making process. How in the world did were they able to waste all the money 'working' on a decision that was going to be so manifestly unpopular and repulsive to most Canadians?

 

[EvilMario]

I'm pleased the Federal government has finally weighed in, but they need to go one further and review the CRTC's decision making process. How in the world did were they able to waste all the money 'working' on a decision that was going to be so manifestly unpopular and repulsive to most Canadians?

CRTC chairman is going before the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology to make public statement on why they ruled the way they did. So we get to hear a bit of what the hell they were thinking, but I don't think there's anyway this goes through now (as it is.. they might try to 'rework it').

 

[Smash88]

CRTC chairman is going before the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology to make public statement on why they ruled the way they did. So we get to hear a bit of what the hell they were thinking, but I don't think there's anyway this goes through now (as it is.. they might try to 'rework it').

Blah blah blah... We want more money...Blah blah blah.... We are greedy .... The End.

 

[someguyinahat]

I'm pleased to have been wrong on this one. It's easy to expect nothing will change, so I'm glad the government decided to pull the CRTC's reins for this. Hearing von Finckenstein's statement should be good for a few laughs. I don't think he'll produce anything meme-worthy, but I've been wrong before.

 

[Stumpokapow]

The weird thing about von Finckenstein is that his background is actually very pro-consumer. He's the federal judge who ruled file sharing / p2p / passive uploading legal in Canada, and he was the head of the competition board. I remember telling people for years that Konrad von Finckenstein would make a great CRTC head because he would be able to smack down some of the more egregious corporate bullshit.

 

[Mr_Elysia]

I believe the question then really is whether they understand the issue upon which they are deciding. Though he did, as you say, rule on other new media issues. And it would be hard to believe a decision would be finalized without being clear on the issue, the ruling, and it's ramifications. Hopefully we'll glean some enlightenment from the hearing but I think for the most part it will be spooned bull.

 

[LCfiner]

wow, some good news for once!

The CRTC can eat it. When all the gov't parties are telling them to fix their shit, you know they don't have a chance of pushing this through.

 

[Dunlop]

great news

 

[TheRagnCajun]

The weird thing about von Finckenstein is that his background is actually very pro-consumer. He's the federal judge who ruled file sharing / p2p / passive uploading legal in Canada, and he was the head of the competition board. I remember telling people for years that Konrad von Finckenstein would make a great CRTC head because he would be able to smack down some of the more egregious corporate bullshit.

Anyone can be corrupted. Its clear to me that the CRTC needs more accountability.

 

[Lard]

Anyone can be corrupted. Its clear to me that the CRTC needs more accountability.

Absolutely.

 

[Zzoram]

CRTC jobs probably come with ten thousand shares in each of Rogers/Bell/Telus.

 

[cbox]

Awesome news, now let's rally to get our phone prices and data plans down too

 

[Zzoram]

Awesome news, now let's rally to get our phone prices and data plans down too

Too ambitious. If anything our phone plans are going to get more expensive. Rogers is already moving SMS up from $0.25 to $0.35 for those without a plan, and Bell/Telus will surely follow suit.

 

[erpg]

Good news, but I hope they come after Rogers about our low bandwidth caps somehow. Lowering them when Netflix came out was fucking slimy.

 

[Zzoram]

Good news, but I hope they come after Rogers about our low bandwidth caps somehow. Lowering them when Netflix came out was fucking slimy.

Ya, they feel so safe from regulation that they do blatantly anti-competitive oligopoly abusing things.

 

[Dunlop]

The downside to this for me is I have to play around with my free bell connection again to see if it is viable (I have 4 months free on a promo).

I was not so impressed with the Fibe16 vs my videotron 30mbps connection, but now that teksavvy is a viable option again....

 

[firehawk12]

I can't believe we're being saved by an election of all things.

So how many of you are voting Conservative now?

 

[Dunlop]

I can't believe we're being saved by an election of all things.

So how many of you are voting Conservative now?

The only reason the Conservatives are squashing this is because the topic became too popular, I think the Liberals using it as part of their campain was the dealbreaker

 

[RPG_Fanatic]

...democracy actually works?

...WHAT?!

I for one am shocked, and happy.

 

[dcpc10]

God I hate CRTC -_-

Bell and Rogers are the two companies that practically own the internet in canada

 

[Deku]

The only reason the Conservatives are squashing this is because the topic became too popular, I think the Liberals using it as part of their campain was the dealbreaker

There was never an inkling the conservatives supported this. Why GAF continue to insist this line of conspiracy theory talk and the fact this thread was several hours late in picking up Clement's move to quash it is really quite baffling. It's like the people want the conservatives to support it so they can have something to rage about.

The CRTC independently made an unpopular decision that the politicians all decided was too hot to handle and now want to reverse. It's really as simple as that.