Post Tagged with: "OECD"

OECD Broadband Rankings: Canada Ranks 28th out of 33 Countries Based on Bell, Rogers & Shaw Data

The OECD published its latest comparative broadband Internet data last week, confirming yet again that Canadian consumers pay more for less when it comes to Internet access. While some will undoubtedly claim that the OECD methodology is faulty, it should be noted that the data is provided to OECD member governments before publication. For this survey, the OECD focused on three of Canada’s largest ISPs – Bell, Shaw, and Rogers – covering 18 of their offerings at a range of speeds and pricing points.

The focus should be on the numbers, which tell a discouraging tale. Among the findings on price of Internet services (all as of September 2010):

Speed Rank
Overall 28th out of 33
Below 2.5 Mbps 17th out of 24
Between 2.5 an 15 Mbps 28th out of 33
Between 15 and 30 Mbps 29th out of 33
Over 45 Mbps 23rd out of 28

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April 19, 2011 54 comments News

OECD Confirms Canada Among Lowest Sources Of Counterfeiting

The OECD has released new data on its global counterfeiting estimates, concluding that the share of counterfeit and pirated goods in world trade is estimated to have increased from 1.85% in 2000 to 1.95% in 2007.  That represents an increase to $250 billion worldwide.  That is obviously a big number, but notably far lower than the claims from ACTA supporters.  Copyright lobby groups have long claimed – without empirical support – that counterfeiting and piracy represents 5 – 7% of global trade.  The OECD data indicates those claims are wildly exaggerated.

This is particularly relevant in Canada where counterfeiting claims have been based on the same faulty data (the international story is similar).  For example, the Chamber of Commerce's IP Council claimed in its report on IP that "it has been conservatively estimated that counterfeiting and piracy cost the Canadian economy $22 billion annually in lost tax revenue, investment and innovation." The source for this claim is a speech by Chamber President Perrin Beatty.  Similarly, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce has argued:

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November 20, 2009 13 comments News

Benkler Responds to Berkman Broadband Study Criticism

Professor Yochai Benkler has posted a response to some of the criticism of the FCC-commissioned Berkman study on broadband.

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November 4, 2009 Comments are Disabled News

OECD Says Canadian Wireless Rates Third Highest in the Developed World

The Globe reports that a new OECD report finds Canada pays among the highest wireless prices in the world. The OECD numbers say that for a “low-use” basket (defined as including 360 minutes of voice calls, 396 text messages and eight video messages per year), Canada ranked 20th most expensive […]

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August 12, 2009 1 comment News

OECD Report Finds Canadian Broadband Slow, Expensive

In recent months, much of the discussion about high-speed Internet service in Canada has focused on two key issues – net neutrality and the need to bring broadband access to the remaining underserved areas in rural Canada.  Both of these issues are now squarely on the public agenda with the CRTC conducting hearings on net neutrality next month and the government committing millions toward rural broadband initiatives in this year's budget.

My weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) notes that issing is a third, fast-growing concern, however.  According to a new OECD report, Canada has one of the slowest and most expensive consumer broadband networks in the developed world. The OECD report, widely viewed as the leading global benchmark on broadband networks, compared Canada with 29 other countries on a range of metrics.  These included broadband availability, pricing, speed, and bandwidth caps.

At first glance, the numbers do not seem that bad, with Canada ranking ninth out of 30 countries for broadband penetration. While that represents a sharp decline from years ago when Canada prided itself in standing second worldwide, its current position is unchanged from last year. Yet the situation becomes far more troubling once the OECD delves deeper into Canadian broadband pricing and speed.

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June 1, 2009 18 comments Columns