Jokes from earlier today aside, we’re fervently against the CRTC’s ruling that would allow major Canadian telecom companies to impose Usage-Based Billing on smaller, independent ISPs. I’ve already pointed out how it would hurt us and be particularly devastating to college students living outside of residence, but sadly, as of earlier this week, it seemed like the CRTC would remain firm in its position, regardless of whether the Canadian government ended up overturning the ruling or not.
Yesterday though, the CRTC started to sound like it might actually change its tune. The Commission announced that it is now open to comments from the public concerning their opinions on the ruling. That announcement, as well as a link to the comment form, can be found on its website, if you’re interesting in trying to get your voice heard. A closer look at the announcement though, reveals something strange. It makes it sound as if UBB would allow independent providers to continue offering competitive services compared to the major telecom companies and that customers of independent providers are somehow currently footing the bill for “heavy” users. But considering what’s already known about Internet technology, we already know there is no such thing.
