By Alayne Martell
The Internet. Love it or hate it, most of us need it. And with it comes many debates. Most recently the controversy is growing over the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission’s (CRTC) recent ruling regarding usage-based-billing (UBB). The ruling would allow large telecom companies such as Bell and Rogers to force independent Internet service providers (ISPs) to adopt the same UBB structure they use. Interestingly enough, the same big guns sell wholesale access to these smaller ISPs, essentially preventing them from remaining competitive.
Then the federal government chimed in. Last week, during an industry committee hearing, the CRTC indicated it would be delaying the implementation for 60 days while it is reviewed. Industry Minister Tony Clement followed that up with the proclamation (by Twitter no less…that could be fodder for a whole other blog post) that if the CRTC comes back with the same outcome, cabinet would overturn it.
Looks like this debate could become heated.
All this political mumbo jumbo aside, I felt compelled to weigh in on the issue and although the majority of Internet users may not share my views, they’re mine, so here goes.
To set the stage, let me give some background. I live on a remote island and I work from my home. If it wasn’t for the Internet, I couldn’t live where I live and I wouldn’t be doing what I am doing (Dr. Seuss anyone?). However, connecting to the Internet here is a challenge. I tried satellite Internet but was constantly frustrated by the atmospheric conditions (their words not mine) that hampered my signal. They also had something called a fair-access policy, which cut your bandwidth if you used too much (sound familiar?). So now I am using a system that picks up a wireless signal from a tower that is located on the island and I pay a flat monthly fee. For some reason, the signal to my house gets confused and my service is sketchy at best. The gentleman who owns the business has been trying hard (for months) to get things fixed, but it has been an exercise in frustration. He also tells me that he is having some bandwidth issues because of some heavy users (sound familiar?).
So what’s my view on Internet usage? Please let me pay whatever price it takes so that I can access the Internet when I need and want to.
Think about it. If I am cold, I turn up the heat and I expect to pay more for my heating costs. If I am hungry and I decide to go for the foot-long sub rather than the six-inch, that’s going to cost me more. If I want more channels on my television, my bill increases. You get the idea.
There is also a debate over whether people who use large amounts of bandwidth are “Internet hogs” or “innovators and pioneers.” I won’t judge these people; I just wish I could be one of them. Having said that, I would expect to pay for the service.
Perhaps at this point I should confess to having stopped on the side of the road to try and hook into an unsecured wireless signal. Used it, didn’t pay a cent and kept on driving. I suspect my luck in picking up an unsecured wireless signal will become a lot harder if this UBB ruling goes through.
What are your thoughts? Do we take the Internet for granted? Would you limit your usage if you had to pay extra for more bandwidth?
Photo courtesy of OpenMedia’s Flickr page.
Technorati Tags: Canada, CRTC, Internet, Twitter, UBB, usage based billing
