Europe already has 16mb DSL as standard practice. Ontario and Quebec is still stuck at 3 or 5mb. Bell has no need to increase capacity or decrease price when there is no competition for them to do so. DSL/Internet is a huge Cash cow for them while it doesn’t help a small business succeed.

Soldout, I don’t understand what you’re afraid of, aside from any ISP in Canada denying you Internet access at all — and if they don’t have your business, they don’t have your $ either?

Unless you’re afraid of the Canadian government … which may be another issue entirely?

“I am furious that Usage Based Billing is even being proposed by Bell Canada, let alone considered by the CRTC. It is infuriating that the majority of Canadian citizens ALREADY pay an overpriced and grossly inflated internet access fee for an already substandard internet connection, and no regulations are put in place to protect the consumers from such blatant price gouging, yet mechanisms are in place to allow for these power grabs by corporations to juice and gouge even more out of the Canadian people. I cannot articulate my outrage.”

I didn’t send it so you can send it instead, if you agree with it. I’m too scared already, seeing how corporate interests already take priority over an individuals interests, I don’t feel safe.

Your MPs should absolutely be more involved in these issues. Again, bandwidth caps retard innovation and business development, something Canada needs just as badly as the States during this economic downturn.

And until more competition can get into the market, you get stuck with one or two providers that basically collude to keep service on the worst possible terms.

There is absolutely no reason why southern Ontario and Quebec in particular don’t have the same kinds of services that are available in the USA. Having been out to Alberta, I can understand the wiring costs to reach far flung communities across that province, or the Prairies, may carry a higher cost, but if you’re in Windsor, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec City, or Hamilton, just to name a few, the disparity of access should be unacceptable.

story has entered the popular today section on popurls.com…

If I were a Bell customer I would demand Bell immediate start blocking every advertisement that I did not personally agree to view/pay for. See how long players like Google will tolerate any such BS.

If you’re going to get metered then you had better have a say in what is stuffed into your pipe. Otherwise you’re paying for everyone’s advertising so maybe send Google a bill for the difference!?

Contact your local government and DEMAND that any BELL lease for telecommunication line access on YOUR public land be immediately revoked and renegotiated. If Bell is refusing to honour or is breaking contract with independent ISPs then local governments should NOT be supporting Bell with public leases.

If telcos like Bell can not get land leases then they can’t run the lines. If they can’t run them then local government should! This is getting well out of hand.

I think it’s criminal that companies like Bell and Time Warner continue to flip the bird at the rules knowing full well that regulators. These are the SAME players who are meeting privately with Canadian and US governments to carve up the broadband and content markets for the next century with their ACTA and DMCA negotiations.

We ALL have to stop BELL. Anyone who can drop Bell for another ISP should do so IMMEDIATELY.

The rest of us have to start emailing our local, provincial and federal government representatives and DEMAND action once and for all against Bell and their abusive if not criminal practices.