Say Goodbye to Internet Innovation

[Rae1889]

SO apparently my country sucks butt. See the link below for the explanation. Apparently they want to start meter pricing internet. Starting at anything over 25GB per month. Which basically means that as soon as someone goes over that 25GB per month we will ber paying per GB just like a parking meter. So it could be something like $100 to surf CWE for an hour!!!!

www.printful.com/read/8Lvi

Its stupid! this means companies like netflix, apple, facebook, Blackberry, etc will lose major business and either shut down or start huge layoffs to pay for their internet bills. Everyday users will not be able to afford internet. Small business will go under. Cell phone companies will lose money on their data plans and phones that run using data (IPhone, Blackberry, HTC) Even Windows and Microsoft will lose money and might even pull services from Canada because it would cost them too much to have their products here.

Forget ordering groceries, meds, makeup, specialty items on line because it cost the business money to run that site which in turn will be transfered to you (not only in your own surfing costs, but they will add theirs into the cost of the item you are buying)

No more emails to your neurologist or doctors office. No more CWE. Not for Canada anyway. and stage one is already passed. GRRRR! I will now become an American if this happens, but will no longer have money for health care. Stupid, stupid stupid....

 

[Rae1889]

PS. This is supposedly supposed to be mandatory as of March 1st. So sorry folks, If this passes I only have 1 month left to chill out with you all, so I'd be happy to take phone numbers to chat with you by text or call.

Why does Canada have to be so ass backwards sometimes.

 

[Literophile]

Bleargh!!! That is really dumb!

I hope Canada's not contagious! ;P

 

[Endless]

They are talking about doing it in the U.S., too, though a timeline hasn't been set. The cable companies are pissed about all the bandwidth used to watch internet TV, and all the revenue lost as people turn off their cable TV in favor of watching internet TV.

Oh! And also internet based telephone services like skype and magicjack, who have made landlines obsolete.

 

[epileric]

Actually, my understanding is that some companies (Rogers being one of them) already have caps to stop things like netflix.

I don't think apple, facebook, Blackberry will really suffer too much though.

However, the whole thing is being reviewed by the CRTC (Canadian Radio Telecomunications Commission)

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2011/02/01/internet-usage-based-billing-clement.html

 

[SeizetheNight]

While I agree with you that that the pricing of the internet being required to be metered sucks, I think you have absolutely nothing to worry about as far as this site, or average internet use is concerned. Now, if you are constantly downloading large files, watching movies, and listening to music, then it would affect you.

 

[Bernard]

CWE use requires very little bandwidth - nowhere near 1GB/month, much less 25GB. You are only going to have problems with bandwidth caps if you are downloading large files like movies/music/etc. or using IP telephony.

 

[Rae1889]

Sadly I use WAY too much internet. I am a netflix subsriber so I do download a lot of movies to watch from there to my Wii. Also I view facebook and cwe from my cell phone

 

[Loopy Lou]

I have an HTC desire, and my phone contract allows 1gb a month and I can quite comfortably go on Facebook, internet etc every day without going over that allowance.

There has been talk of bringing that system of pay as you go over here too though, we'll just have to see how it goes. I use my home broadband a lot, for the pc, my ps3 and my Wii so I'd hate to see how much that would amount to.

 

[epileric]

Update on the situation

The CRTC must reverse its decision that ends unlimited internet access plans offered by smaller internet providers, or the federal government will intervene, Industry Minister Tony Clement says.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2011/02/03/crtc-internet-clement.html

 

[Meetz1064]

Well Rae,

it seems that you're safe, doesn't it? That's cool!

 

[Endless]

Heavy user. Major junkie. Fiend. Addict. Nethead. Downloader. Fanatic. Freak. Zealot. MAJOR bandwith user. Internet/video access on my television, DVD player, computer, smart phone, iPad. This will cost me big unless I change my wayward ways.

Rhapsody.com
Xfinity.com
tvchannelsfree.com
Hulu.com
Worldtv.pc.com
Netflix.com

The speed of the electrons is blazing. Someone. Help me before it is too late. I'm melllllltinnnnnnnngggggg.......

 

[Meetz1064]

Lololol

Endless, you DO crack me up. :roflmao::roflmao::roflmao::roflmao: I may have to check out some of those sites though........

 

[Endless]

Hulu is a fav. It's $7 a month. I don't use xfinity any more - it's the cable service. I cancelled it because everything I need is online, inluding local news. (straight off the local channel's site) Cable = $60/mo, Hulu $7/mo. Much better math. my dvd player and tv both have internet access, and also my pc streams through my tv, so it's easy as falling over (which is particularly easy for us). I use an old desktop as a DVR - it's dedicated to streaming internet.

All this was a lifesaver for me when I spent a month overseas in a third world country. They don't have toilets, clean water, mosquito nets, garbage collection, etc., but have wireless internet all over the city. Not in the rural areas, though. They are lucky if they have a car battery to run an evening light bulb. (literally) But get this - everybody has a cellphone, even in rural areas. There are no landlines.

Anyway, I'd watch a little american tv on my netbook and I felt right back at home.