Canadians React With Anger to New Internet Usage Caps

Spy_Guy

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Mar 16, 2010
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I'd sign up on that site, but I'm not Canadian, and as such probably not eligible.

That being said, I support that cause. Letting monthly caps go unchecked is just going to lead to a slippery slope, and if the users start accepting these extra charges then the ISPs will start using it, since they can get away with it.
 

Dommyboy

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Jul 20, 2008
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So, tis a long article and I'm just quickly checking in but why are they doing this to Canadian users?
 

AvsJoe

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May 28, 2009
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Andy Chalk said:
A petition at stopthemeter.ca [http://stopthemeter.ca] has garnered over 250,000 signatures at last count...
Aaaand signed. Signatures +1. Fuck this noise and reverse this shit, you s*ns of bitches!
 

Bloodstain

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Jun 20, 2009
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Up until now, Canada was a potential future place of residence for me.
But download caps? Really?
 

SenseOfTumour

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Jul 11, 2008
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What magnifies the idiocy of this, is all these ISPs are sooo proud of how 'lightning fast' they are, 'download a movie in 15 minutes' 'download a song from itunes in 8 seconds' 'go over your new bandwidth limit within about two hours'. There should be some kinda advertising law that means you have to state download limits and charges with equal importance to speed and price.

I totally understand that this is being brought in because of pressure from the multinational entertainment corporations, thinking it's going to stop piracy. Just a shame they can't be honest about it.

'Bell Internet - Because we have zero respect for our customers and we love to blow the members of the MPAA, we're going to increase charges for those customers who actually USE our service.'

My mother uses less than 1GB a month, how about charging her a buck fifty a month? No? Thought as much.

As someone else pointed out with the 'mailing hard drives around canada' thing, if you restricted everyone, we'd just go back to the days of the Atari and Amiga where we post discs to each other. (Not saying piracy, necessarily, just sharing public domain stuff).

Sure you'd make piracy more difficult by bringing this in, but like DRM, you're punishing everyone who pays your wages, just to mildly annoy a minority who'll find a way around it anyway.
 

T_ConX

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Mar 8, 2010
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I'm always amazed at how people become so dumbfounded when their governments enact legislation like this.

If there's anything I DO remember from Political Science 101, it was the profs explanation on how Lobbying Groups work.

Elected Officials often rely on lobbying groups to explain issues to them. It's sad, but when you're carrying all the responsibilities that come with holding public office, you often don't have the time to research an issue yourself. Sadly, they can't afford to remain ignorant, because sooner or later, your /MP/Senator/Representative will be be forced to quickly form a position on an issue that they've never even seen before.

And they don't want to end up like this guy:


And this is where Lobbying Groups come in. Lobbying Groups will try and persuade a Politician to support legislation favorable to their cause. It can anything as universally favorable as a Cancer Foundation asking for research money, to something as bad as ISPs asking for the right to enforce bandwidth caps.

The problem, however, is that more often then not, the debate between the two sides of an issue is tilted in favor of the group with more... resources. Naturally, this means that the group representing the interests of (and being funded by) every major ISP in the country tends to crush the side that can do nothing but ask a bunch of tech-savvy internet users for an online petition signature* and a $10 donation. Money talks, pure and simple. It's why Stephen Harper* thinks he did the right thing by signing C-32 into Law! While our side was trying to raise awareness, Lobbyist Groups (funded largely by American companies) spent MILLIONS persuading Harper, his fellow Conservative MPs, and people close to them, to support the bill.

*For those of you you who have yet to grow up, Online Petitions DON'T MEAN FISH ****.
 

Zenode

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Jan 21, 2009
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Im living off a 20gb Cap just fine.......yes i can torrent yes i online game and no i have never been over the limit.
 

Gahars

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Feb 4, 2008
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This is terrible.

All our Canadian friends, revolt, rebel, etc. against this. Fight back any way you can until they agree to abandon it.

Hopefully then, this won't inspire a precedent that will inspire other nations.
 

CoL0sS

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Nov 2, 2010
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And I thought lousy customer/tech support and faulty routers are the worst thing ISP can provide. My sympathies to Internet users in Canada.
 

sleeky01

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Vivace-Vivian said:
Instead of bitching about it on here people in Canada should be going to their MPs about it. Getting angry on forums won't solve a thing... A quick email will help flood their inboxes. At least, that's what I did.
I would suggest going further.

While flooding an e-mail inbox is a start, there is still something to be said for writing an actual paper letter.

It leaves more of an impression on your local MP if a huge stack of processed lumber is dropped on their desk.
 

BeepBoopBrother

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Jan 26, 2011
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Even though I'm not Canadian, I think Canada is more than a developed enough country to not have to deal with this kind of thing.

All I'm saying is; you should totally gather the masses and revolt.
 

icyneesan

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Feb 28, 2010
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I can't believe they did it. Those bastards! THEY CAPPED IT ALL UP!!!

And YES! I WILL complain on a Internet gaming forum!
 

Vaccine

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Feb 13, 2010
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You're all spoiled brats, seriously.
This has been around in other countries for years and years, you're just being assimilated and no amount of rage or anger will stop it because Canada is seeing how much it works in other countries.
 

Okysho

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Sep 12, 2010
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My country has better things to do with it's time, then bend to the will of the sleazy corporations...

20 gig cap is pretty stupid. I'd burn that in one night with instant messaging and MMOs...
With everything being in HQ now, it's damn near impossible to get anything under 1G, plus the general usage, I think a lot of Canadians will find themselves back in the stone ages...

But the volume isn't what I hate most about this issue, it's that the telecom companies have this much control over the people. Why the hell do we have monopolies on communication anyways? It'd be a lot cheaper to just bottle myself up somewhere and live with zero communication!

If the cap was somewhere closer to 100 or even 50 (maybe 60) gbs then I'd say it's a bit more fair (despite... you know... this:
 

DTWolfwood

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Oct 20, 2009
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i think its about time you canadians call for a revolution and remove the those in office making these decisions. You know take a lead from the Egyptians.
 

Marowit

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Nov 7, 2006
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To my neighbors to the North - I am sorry to read this news.

Keep writing your politicians, and cloooooooooogg up Bells Customer Service Lines/inboxes/etc... Only the squeaky wheel will ever get the grease - especially where money is involved.
 

Steve Fidler

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Feb 20, 2010
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Patrick_and_the_ricks said:
WHAT????? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! Seriously fuck Bell.... My internet is Via Cogeco, will I be affected? I hope to Christ my 200GB cap isn't affected.
Everyone is affected.

Essentially, all the ISPs will offer the same packages. In Quebec, they will be 60gb caps, in Ontario they will be 25gb caps. Not sure about other provinces. You can then buy 'insurances' of 40gb before the month starts... It's stupid.

This is a ploy by Bell to strangle out other ISPs and gain a monopoly, and to stop Netflix and online 'TV' streaming because Bell owns CTV and wants us watching that.

What would be a better strategy would be to make their TV services BETTER. Replace their Cable services with something akin to Netflix/Boxee etc. but make it good. I would pay what I pay for cable to have a reliable, up to date version of Netflix in Canada. Unfortunately, due to the Copyright laws the Netflix in Canada is extremely sub-par and doesn't get much new content.


EDIT

For perspective, though. This plan was approved in March 2009. It's only now coming into effect, and its taken until now to get the masses to do something about it. Thankfully, the politicians are listening. The Liberals and NDP have openly said that they stand against it, and the Industry Minister and current Prime Minister have said that they have motioned for it to be reviewed. Unfortunately, it all might be too little too late.
 

Steve Fidler

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Feb 20, 2010
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DTWolfwood said:
i think its about time you canadians call for a revolution and remove the those in office making these decisions. You know take a lead from the Egyptians.
Those in office didn't make this decision. The CRTC isn't a section of the government.

Vaccine said:
You're all spoiled brats, seriously.
This has been around in other countries for years and years, you're just being assimilated and no amount of rage or anger will stop it because Canada is seeing how much it works in other countries.
Canada is the first country to impose a limit this restrictive. American ISPs are all able to set their own prices and compete with each other; and Europe. Well Europe has the best internet around.
 

DTWolfwood

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Oct 20, 2009
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Steve Fidler said:
DTWolfwood said:
i think its about time you canadians call for a revolution and remove the those in office making these decisions. You know take a lead from the Egyptians.
Those in office didn't make this decision. The CRTC isn't a section of the government.
ok than i guess the next best thing is to inundate the CRTC with angry letters and demand from your minster/senators/congressmen/whatever they are called in government to step in and fix this.