Internet Billing changes March 1st...

I wonder about the costs of running a couple of XBox lives, and a couple of computers… I'm currently on Shaws High Speed. Enlighten me.

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/01/canada-gets-first-bitter-dose-of-metered-internet-billing.ars

Everyone, please sign this petition now. http://openmedia.ca/meter

Uuhg. Super lame.

I wonder how all of those companies making billions of dollars online are going to feel about per use billing that will decrease the amount of traffic their sites get…. Countdown until Google starts their own North America wide ISP begins now….

Service providers want to be treated by utilities, but not be regulated as utilities. How much trust can we place on ISPs to bill us the correct amount?

Look at recent news that AT[HTML_REMOVED]T is being sued for data over billing, even billing when smart phones are turned off. Thieving bastards.

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/ATT-Sued-For-iPad-iPhone-Data-Over-Billing-112482

I contacted Weights and Measures Canada and they confirmed they have no mandate to verify the accuracy of ISP bandwidth usage. So be prepared to bend over and get reamed.

http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Worried+about+extra+Internet+data+fees+know+what/4175775/story.html

This is the one time I actually like Telus. BTW - click that link. It'll answer your questions.

Telus - Shaw's main Internet competitor in Vancouver - also has monthly data caps. Those caps tend to be a bit higher than Shaw's - for example, 75 GB for Telus's second-cheapest plan compared to 60 GB for Shaw.

And Telus spokesman Shawn Hall said it won't ding customers for occasionally going over.

for once telus isn't the bad guy…….I've been on telus for over 4 years, and my roommate and I certianly stream and download a fair amount, we've never had extra charges….

More of the same:

The ISPs[HTML_REMOVED]#8217; costs to deliver a marginal gigabyte, which is about an hour of viewing, from one of our regional interchange points over their last mile wired network to the consumer is less than a penny, and falling, he said. So there is no reason that pay-per-gigabyte is economically necessary.

The actual CRTC decision is here.

Also, here's a brief look into some of the Conflict of Interests at the CRTC where Canadian Telecom execs sit on the CRTC and rotate between the regulator and private industry. It's my understanding that this conflict is even more systemic than outlined in the article.

Ian Scott was a high-level executive at Telus Corp. when he was headhunted by the federal government to work for the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.
[HTML_REMOVED]#8220;I was approached by the chair [of the CRTC],[HTML_REMOVED]#8221; remembers Scott. [HTML_REMOVED]#8220;And he talked my employer into it.[HTML_REMOVED]#8221;

Sure looks like they have the public's interests at heart with this one…

Why do our communications fees continue to soar all the time? If telus or shaw want to charge for gigs it will make it pretty important to lock your wireless feed.

We need to develope a nanobyte. Much smaller than a regular byte, cheaper to transmit ;)

:stupid:

Now that I check this system was already in place when we signed up for our new contract in december.

OK so DL'ing vid's and streaming content is gonna cost. What about online gaming?

OK so DL'ing vid's and streaming content is gonna cost. What about online gaming?

Bandwidth is bandwidth.

http://openmedia.ca/meter

http://openmedia.ca/meter

done. You have to let the government know if you object.