Bell Canada Creates Canadian Counter-Movement - Indie ISPs band together as consumers rally against the CRTC
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Bell Canada Creates Canadian Counter-Movement
Indie ISPs band together as consumers rally against the CRTC
06:04PM Thursday Sep 10 2009 by Karl Bode
tags: business · world · Bell Sympatico · TekSavvy Solutions Inc.
Tipped by CoverIt
With Canada doing their best to mirror the United States when it comes to telecom regulatory policy (the carriers with the money make the rules), Canadians haven't been very happy lately with Canadian regulatory agency the CRTC. The CRTC, as we've well covered, is stocked with executives from some of Canada's largest ISPs, and as such, has unsurprisingly been engaged in rulemaking that threatens to put smaller independent ISPs out of business.

23-year-old Ottawa software company employee and Broadband Reports user Mike Lerner ( mlerner) has been making waves with his dissolve the CRTC campaign, and has gotten 6,500 petition signatures and 2,000 Facebook friends who agree with him. Ok yes, online petitions are about as effective as fighting godzilla with poultry, and eliminating entrenched government agencies is usually impossible -- but Lerner's tapped into a growing irritation among consumers and small ISPs in Canada. He's also getting press attention from outlets like Now Magazine:
When asked what the ideal CRTC would look like, Mike Lerner responded, "The ideal CRTC can understand new business models, listens and acts on public's interests and not in favour of the media or telecom companies. A commission that is transparent and open with the Canadian public."
Canadian regulators with their "light regulatory touch" are starting to see some public kickback from the under-represented. Meanwhile, Canada's remaining small ISPs are starting to band together in order to fight bigger carriers like Bell Canada, who kicked this entire movement off by throttling wholesale competitors and double dipping on bandwidth charges. While a small start this is compelling, given most Canadians didn't even know what network neutrality was just two years ago.

Related:
  1. Canada Mirrors U.S. Broadband Policies, Gets Same Crappy Results
  2. Bell Canada Discontinuing Video Store
  3. Canada Holds Hearings On ISP Throttling
  4. Canadians Pine For CRTC's Destruction
  5. Cogeco Still Struggling With Accurate Meters?
  6. Will Canada Pass Network Neutrality Rules Too?
  7. Canadians Take Heed Of Harvard Broadband Study
  8. CRTC Blocks Canada's WIND Wireless Network
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anon @ 10th Sep 06:22PM:
CRTC: The land of gravy for former telco executives is over

Until we started digging under their rock consumer interests were usurped by the big telcos.

Now that we are calling for their dismissal, looking into questionable spending perks and shady deals
the sunlight is getting little warm for the complacent sycophants.
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Davesnothere @ 10th Sep 06:35PM:
CRTC is Prejudiced in Favour of Bell !

Yes, very many of us here in the 'Great White North' share Mike Lerner's feelings.

It's only that he demonstrated the guts to do something about it, as did certain others in our fold.

But suffice it to say that not all Canadians fit the so-called stereotype of being polite to an excess, and when the only way up here to get some attention/action and fair and ethical treatment from the telco's is to squawk, well guess what, WE'RE GONNA SQUAWK !

In this regard, both independent ISPs and their subscribers are the two groups who are most unhappy that Bell Canada is trying to walk all over us to stifle reasonable competition.

After all, ever so many of us end users ALREADY LEFT Bell ONCE and migrated to the Indie ISPs because we felt poorly treated as direct Bell customers.

And in effect, by their recent actions and proposals to the CRTC, Bell is trying to make those of us who left Bell all feel an ominous sense of deja vu.

Bell must be stopped, and perhaps split up into a separate wholesaler of services and a retail ISP/TV/Phone provider, each operated at arms' length from the other, and since we sincerely doubt that our current CRTC will show the balls to make that any of that happen, we need to replace them with folks who just might take that concept (and us end users) seriously !

(Hence the creation of Mike's petition, etc.)

Thanks for reading.

Cheers !
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anon @ 10th Sep 06:53PM:
CRTC is Prejudiced in Favour of Bell !

said by Davesnothere :

Bell must be stopped, and perhaps split up into a separate wholesaler of services and a retail ISP/TV/Phone provider, each operated at arms' length from the other, and since we doubt that our current CRTC will show the balls to make that happen, we need to replace them with folks who just might take that concept (and us end users) seriously !

(Hence the creation of Mike's petition, etc.)

Thanks for reading.

Cheers !
Well written, well spoken and well said.
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TKJunkMail @ 10th Sep 06:45PM:
Ban or Band?

»Bell Canada Creates Canadian Counter-Movement
Indie ISPs ban band together as consumers rally against the CRTC
On the other hand maybe the Indie ISPs do ban together, but against Bell Canada. :D
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hottboiinnc @ 10th Sep 07:08PM:
Re: Ban or Band?

Indie ISPs should ban together and start creating their own network.
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CoverIt @ 10th Sep 07:41PM:
Re: Ban or Band?

said by hottboiinnc :

Indie ISPs should ban together and start creating their own network.
they don't need to. The Bell Canada and Telus networks were built using tax money. We already own it.
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anon @ 10th Sep 09:11PM:
Re: Ban or Band?

What I always hear is we need more regulation, we need government to step in and do something. Yet it was the government that created these monopolies in the first place through these subsidies. It was government that killed competition. Then we have a government regulatory body like the CRTC for the purpose of leveling the playing field. Are people are really this blind? Government creates the problem and then gives you the solution, which is more government.

We own nothing, that infrastructure we paid for is sold back to us. Corporate socialism is working.
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Tristan @ 10th Sep 09:20PM:
Dismiss the CRTC!

Get rid of those CRTC turkeys! They are bad for Canadian consumers.
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shwing @ 10th Sep 10:42PM:
Re: CRTC: The land of gravy for former telco executives is over

It's embarrassing how corrupt the CRTC is...I thought this was Canada, not ...
--
Party On Garth! ... Party On Wayne !
Shwing!
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zod5000 @ 10th Sep 11:12PM:
Because there would be 3rd party isp's without the crtc?

The 3rd party ISP's wouldn't exist without the CRTC. I don't think the bell/rogers/telus/shaw would lease out their lines/equipment if the CRTC didn't force them too.

I hate our Canadian ISPs as much as the next guy.. but people tend to forget its CRTC regular that created the 3rd party isp's in the first place. Dissolving the CRTC, would probably disolve the sharing of equipment.
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DJMASACRE @ 10th Sep 11:18PM:
Re: Because there would be 3rd party isp's without the crtc?

said by zod5000 :

The 3rd party ISP's wouldn't exist without the CRTC. I don't think the bell/rogers/telus/shaw would lease out their lines/equipment if the CRTC didn't force them too.

I hate our Canadian ISPs as much as the next guy.. but people tend to forget its CRTC regular that created the 3rd party isp's in the first place. Dissolving the CRTC, would probably disolve the sharing of equipment.
I dont think we need to care anymore how all of it was formed. Bottom line it was not properly and not properly planned for the future.

So now it needs to be fixed. Whether its in the consumers best interest or not, the North America network to the rest of the world will simply just fail.

The network world is the same in Murphys Law.

Networks Grow, never get smaller. DPI throttling and UBB practices obviously do not allow networks to grow.

its PROVEN PROVEN PROVEN Any computer "idiot" knows this.

I find it more amusing to see how government and/or regulator bodies fail when it comes to leading technology like a growing field with Network Technology.

i wont even bother with anymore analogies, if you all haven gotten the gist of what has been, still is, and will continue happening I just feel sorry for you now :(

.. :) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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ZZink @ 11th Sep 09:57AM:
More people need to be informed

The general Canadian population needs to be educated on the telecome issue. Broadband internet is just one aspect that is going down hill... what about overpriced Cable & Sattalite and the second highest wireless fees world wide?
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Hindenpeter8 @ 11th Sep 11:21AM:
Perfect timing?

If it weren't for the economy being in shambles, this could have easily become an election issue. Too bad it won't, at least in the mainstream, but we as voters have the power to make it an issue.

The candidates in my local riding like to stake out the entrance to the subway station and "talk to voters" (shakes hands, hand out leaflets). It's the perfect time to talk to them directly without getting some runt hired to reply to letters/emails.

"What is your stance on net neutrality?"
"If elected, how will you ensure that the rights of Canadian internet/wireless providers are protected?"

Anyone have some other good ones?
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hottboiinnc @ 11th Sep 11:41AM:
Re: Ban or Band?

no you don't own it. It was given to the companies and is now owned by them.
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vintagewino @ 11th Sep 10:52PM:
Re: More people need to be informed

Throttling, DPI inspection, have been thorns placed by the big telcos in our sides over the last 2 years. Has the general public heard about it? NO!! Why? Is it because the Bells, Rogers, et al also own significant shares in the radio, television, and news media, so they put the word out to SQUASH THE STORY!!

So John & Joan Public are deliberately and maliciously kept in the dark ... right up until they get their bill. :o :mad:

Time to cut the censorship on the news about IMPORTANT events, and let the people know what the hell's going on, and how it affects them.

Great going, Mike!

Here's another thread: »www.competitivebroadband.com/

Sad but true: »news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8248056.stm
(The pigeon's better than 5M) :(
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