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CRTC Delays Implementation of UBB Decision

CRTC Chair Konrad von Finckenstein has told a House of Commons committee that the CRTC will delay implementation of the usage based billing decision by at least 60 days.  The CRTC says it will review the decision with an eye to protecting consumers, ensuring that heavy users pay for their […]

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February 3, 2011 69 comments News

Three Cents Per Gigabyte

Hugh Thompson has an interesting column on the actual bandwidth costs for ISPs.  He cites one provider that three cents per gigabyte is the likely cost.  Even assuming a ten cents per gigabyte “inflated cost”, that still represents as much as a 50X markup given that some providers charge $5 […]

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February 3, 2011 18 comments News

AUCC Post C-32 Position Paper: Focus on Fair Dealing and Digital Locks

The Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada has posted its position paper on Bill C-32.  The AUCC is calling for the six factor test from the Supreme Court to be incorporated into fair dealing and for the bill “to permit the breaking of digital locks for any purpose that […]

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February 3, 2011 4 comments News

Clement Confirms Plans to Overturn UBB Decision

Industry Minister Tony Clement has confirmed that the government intends to overturn the CRTC’s usage based billing decision.  In a twitter exchange with CBC reporter Rosemary Barton, Clement was asked “is it true you will overturn internet decision if CRTC does not back down?”.  Clement responded “True. CRTC must go […]

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February 2, 2011 34 comments News

The Government’s Review of Usage Based Billing: What Should Come Next

Yesterday was a remarkable day for those following the usage based billing and bandwidth cap issue. In the span of 24 hours, an unlikely political consensus emerged that left little doubt that – at a minimum – the CRTC’s UBB decision will be reconsidered.  Prime Minister Harper expressed his concern with the decision, Industry Minister Tony Clement hinted at overturning the decision, and both the Liberals and NDP expressed strong support for overturning the decision. Groups like the Canadian Network Operators Consortium, which represent dozens of independent ISPs, wrote to Clement to call for cabinet to reconsider all the CRTC’s UBB decisions and even the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses wrote to express its concern about the impact on Canadian small businesses.  An Industry Committee hearing on UBB will apparently begin on Thursday.

With Clement indicating that a decision will be forthcoming by March 1st, there is just one month for cabinet to address the issue.  So what comes next?

 

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February 2, 2011 34 comments News