Archive for March, 2011

Myths and Fallacies About Usage Based Billing

Bill St. Arnaud has posted a paper on usage based billing that challenges some of the frequently made claims on UBB. St. Arnaud notes that the paper demonstrates three important facts: Internet video streaming services actually reduce costs for Internet backbone networks operated by telephone and cable companies, even as […]

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March 31, 2011 41 comments News

Copyright and Canada’s Trade Agreements: Point of Disagreement Between the Parties?

The Globe and Mail is reporting that the Conservatives will announce their commitment to completing new trade agreements with the European Union and India at an event this morning in Halifax. The focus on the EU deal – CETA – is noteworthy because there may be a divide between the […]

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March 31, 2011 4 comments News

GeistonUBB

GeistonUBB.pdf

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March 30, 2011 Comments are Disabled General

Usage Based Billing Around the World: How Canada Stands Alone

When the usage based billing controversy grabbed national headlines last month, I posted several long pieces on the issue. My first post attempted to unpack the issue, focusing on the some the misleading claims about the supposed need for UBB at the wholesale level and putting the use of data caps in Canada in context.  Later posts discussed concerns with the CRTC approach on UBB, the claims regarding network congestion, and a piece on what should come next, including what the CRTC should do on wholesale UBB and the broader policy measures on foreign ownership restrictions, fostering greater competition, and addressing the retail UBB concerns. 

Those posts attracted some attention and soon afterward I was asked by Netflix if I was interested in digging deeper into these issues. The company provided some support so that I was able to quickly assemble a great team of students – Keith Rose, Peter Waldkirch, Tyler Nechiporenko, and Rachel Gold – to delve into issues such as congestion claims, comparative UBB approaches, the cost of transferring a GB of data, and some potential solutions. I completed the paper over the weekend and have posted it here. I’ll be posting on several elements over the next few days, concluding with my proposal for the establishment of a UBB equivalent for Internet Traffic Management Practices (ITMPs), which I’ve dubbed Internet Billing Usage Management Practices or IBUMPs.

This first post features a comparative look at usage based billing in other countries.

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March 30, 2011 38 comments News

GeistUBBcomparative

geistubbcomparative.pdf

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March 30, 2011 Comments are Disabled General