SubscribeShaw Communications is preparing to introduce a formal Internet Overcharging scheme for its customers across western and central Canada. Although the company has maintained “soft caps” that have generally been unenforced, that is about to change.
An Edmonton reader of Broadband Reports first noticed the appearance of a new formal Internet Data Usage Policies section on Shaw’s website. Some customers also received access to a usage meter that was roundly criticized for being inaccurate.
She's blown away by her high broadband bill.
In short, Shaw Cable plans a “three strikes and then you pay” approach to usage limit enforcement. After a customer exceeding plan limits receives three warnings from the company, excess usage charges will start to appear on customer bills.
A participant on Broadband Reports inferring he’s a Shaw employee admits the company’s usage meter was so inaccurate, it has been pulled. So has much of the information on Shaw’s website, which now provides a more general “stay-tuned” announcement:
Thank you for your interest in Shaw’s Internet Data Usage policies. Please stay tuned as we develop information specific to your area on this topic.
Shaw currently sells four levels of service in most areas (“Nitro” is available in limited areas with DOCSIS 3 upgraded service), sold by both speed and data transfer limits:
| High-Speed Warp†* |
High-Speed Extreme* |
High-Speed Internet |
High-Speed Lite |
|
| Maximum download speed | 50 Mbps | 15 Mbps | 7.5 Mbps | 1 Mbps |
| Maximum upload speed | 3 Mbps | 1 Mbps | 512 Kbps | 256 Kbps |
| Dynamic IP addresses | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Price (in Canadian dollars) | $107/month | $57/month | $47/month | $35/month |
| Data transfer limit | 250 GB/month | 125 GB/month | 75 GB/month |
13 GB/month |
*Service availability may vary by market. Docsis modem required.
† Limited areas that are not DOCSIS 3.0 ready will receive 25 Mbps download and 2 Mbps upload.
In contrast, most Americans pay lower prices for equivalent levels of service, with no data transfer limits.
Shaw customers will soon see usage graphs on their monthly bills and face the prospect of paying overlimit fees once they exhaust their usage warnings. While Shaw works to implement its broadband overcharging scheme, it is also making hay out of its new 1Gbps fiber-based broadband trials in British Columbia (primarily to stay competitive with its nemesis — competitor Novus Entertainment) and Alberta:
This service launched in select Vancouver neighbourhoods in June – and Pinebrook, a suburb west of Calgary, will be the latest area to try out the 1 Gigabit Internet service FREE for six months!
Our test neighbourhoods have the advantage of “future proofing” as they receive the best technology has to offer with Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) and will be able to support new, cutting-edge Internet applications that will require faster download speeds – compliments of Shaw.
At the end of the six month trial, customers will still be able to retain their existing services without any change in features or function.
This is a great opportunity for our customers and we are thrilled to be the first provider in Canada to offer this incredible service.
Of course, most of the applications that require faster broadband speeds also consume plenty of data, and when Shaw formally introduces the fiber service, limits on its use are likely to come along for the ride.
Well, what they say and what they’re actually doing appear to be a little different. I first received a usage warning on my bill in June. I had used 130 GB instead of my 125 GB cap. I figured whatever as I was barely over and at this point nothing had been mentioned about billing for going over. I did try to keep track of my usage using their online usage meter, however this link under my online customer care account disappeared after a few weeks (something that has happened several times over my 4+ years with Shaw; it had… Read more »
I am furious! There is no internet provider which doesn’t now offer this stupid data restriction, which by all means seems a little unnessicary. Considering i’ve apparently used 300GB of data each month, and i’m on a 13GB a month data plan, I don’t see how i’ve even used that much data! I really want to take some action against this greed scheme.
Can’t believe this is happening. This sounds like another restriction keeping people from enjoying their internet service because they are afraid of going over the bandwidth limit, and being charged 1 dollar per GB.
High-Speed Internet cap is now 60 GB a month.
What the hell?!? I couldn’t believe my eyes… High-Speed Internet cap went back down to 60GB/month from 75GB/month. I feel so scammed, it’s really pissing me off. Thanks for the Christmas gift SHAW…you losers!!!
You are seriously ridiculous. They have always let it slide, it always said the allowence on their website. Now they are just inforcing it and you are upset. Don’t you realize it costs them money too?! wow.
their cost is around 1 cent per GB and falling. So charging $1 is 100x markup.
shaw is also changed yesterday amount of gb use per month i have internet extreme and i had 125gb per month for 8 years that im with shaw and now changed without notice to 100gb per month i called them and every time i call there is no manager or supervisor and i end up talking to no man agent and they dont know s*** it seems like with wishy washy rolls in our law they can do what they want i also search other country internets and there is not many internet with restriction only in islamic countrys or… Read more »
Bob, you’ve just hit the nail on the head. We watch TV and movies online. That means we’re not watching them on the antiquated Cable system they also sell. They can’t control what we watch online so they can’t charge for ad space and channels nobody wants. Instead of coming up with better cable system where people can watch what they want, they just throttle back and enforce the caps.
antiquated cable system only if you have a crappy tv and no hd. you don’t even sound ‘techy” as you obviously don’t even know the correct technological terms.
Very rude, Mike, and not deserving of a reply but you’re flat out wrong. “HD” doesn’t make it modern. Why would I sit and watch whatever show the cable company is willing to give me at whatever time they so decide? I want to watch what I want, when I want. Hence, the Internet.
Cable television is antiquated and I wouldn’t pay a penny for that junk. But now Shaw, Telus, and Rogers (who all provide dying cable services) are making it financially impossible to watch Netflix, or HD YouTube, or any of the numerous other options available.
i called shaw again and as usual i ended up with no man agent i thought they call this cable company and there is no supervisor to talk to anyway after lots of complaining to the agent finaly was able to talk to sales rap he told me all about it it looks like is about money and got nothing to do about usage i also got a leter today from shaw that i can buy data pacages if this is the case howcome when i have to pay and use more data im not slowing the internet for other… Read more »
Here is my recent letter to Shaw! Doug McWilliams Regional Systems Manager for Shaw Communications Inc. 2400 32 Ave NE Calgary, Alberta T2E 9A7 January 05th, 2011 Dear Mr. Doug McWilliams, I recently received a letter from Shaw Communications that requires my immediate response. I have already contacted customer service in addition to my communication with you. The letter in question thanks me for my participation in an “Internet Usage Pilot” I was not aware I gave my consent to participate in. It then outlines future levels of usage that will be acceptable for the various internet service levels that… Read more »
Great letter Thomas! I would love to know whether or not you received a response from Shaw and what they said!
just so you are aware you are all lucky to have the internet that you have. i live in whitehorse and this is my plan with northwestel:
DSL Classic includes the following features:
* A high-speed ADSL modem
* Download speeds of up to 2.5 Mbps (1Mbps in Old Crow)
* Upload speeds of up to 384 Kbps
* 15 GB of free data transfer per month (additional usage $10/GB, charged in 1 cent increments)
Current monthly rate $62.95
Don’t you love it when they call it “free data transfer” when you have already paid for it? That $10/GB overlimit fee is something else, along with those prices. I’ll have to consider writing this up. As least they called it “DSL Classic,” which is to say old-school and lousy speedwise. This is why rural communities across North America need rate equalization subsidies that make broadband as affordable in small towns as it is in bigger cities. It’s becoming more and more essential to everyday life, and up in Whitehorse in the dead of winter when the “sun” is more… Read more »
I hope someone starts a Dislike page on Facebook about this internet restriction. I would join.
Im sure we all agree with that this is communist. Im 100% against it and we need to let them know that in big numbers.
Actually, I wouldn’t call it “Communist.” We’re dealing with a de facto duopoly with oligopic tendencies. 🙂
We have plans to expand our Facebook presence. In fact, we are installing an upgrade here to allow commenting visitors to auto-register with their Facebook account, so they need not have to remember another login.
something i found on the net it might be interesting, Canadian ISPs Set Bandwidth Caps and Increased Fees All the members of the digital community residing in Canada, whether they are into downloading Linux ISOs, streaming video from Netflix or playing online games, face an issue of big concern. Canadian service providers began initiating bandwidth caps and introducing higher fees. It took broadband providers only 3 months from the day the CRTC ruled in favor of Bell to announce increase in fees. A re-seller of Bell, Primus, and Rogers were the first ones to announce their rate hikes. Moreover, they… Read more »
If this upsets you, read about the petition and get further info here:
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r25322370-UBB-Learn-More-Fight-Back-
folks good news start give shaw hell telus got a pacage 45 dollars internet, cable tv,and basic phone with 1 choice of caller id or other,i called shaw and said cancel my services they got on it right away and asked why and i said im switching to telus after i got a deal my bill every month was 165 dollars and got cut to 89 dollars per month and also they gave me free long distanse in north america,there u go the good part is i also talked to other 3 friends of mine and they did same,and got… Read more »
In all fairness, I, as a subscriber to both Shaw Cable and Internet, feel that if I have to pay more for internet, then the same usage rules should apply to all of the garbage channels of TV that I have to subscribe to to watch a few good ones.
So Shaw, please determine how little I use most of the TV crap, subtract it from the internet I use for entertainment because there is nothing to watch on TV, and we should be about even. And, if not, shove them both and I will go back to satellite.
It is remarkable they have plenty of bandwidth for hundreds of channels nobody wants but is up against the wall when it comes to providing bandwidth for broadband. If Shaw wanted to charge $0.20 per gigabyte — pay only for what you actually use, they’d be out their massive profits earned from charging you a high price that includes an arbitrary usage limit and a gouging overlimit fee. Thanks to the CRTC, Bell, Rogers, and Shaw — Canadian broadband is an unlimited ATM machine for them and a wallet emptier for you. It’s time to get Parliament involved and start… Read more »
something i dont understand shaw is ofering data packages ok,and they are claming over limit usege of bandwidth is slowing down the other people that not using the internet much ,now how it is if i pay for more data im not going to slow other people but if i dont i will ? Data Packs Additional Bandwidth Price (per month) Note: Data packs can be added in multiples. Example: To add an additional 20GB per month, you would add DATA1 with a quantity of 2 DATA1 10GB / month $5.00 per pack DATA2 60GB / month $20.00 per pack… Read more »
Bob,
Shaw’s quest for more profits and executive money showers will not be undone by your infallible logic.
Mike,
I like how you seem to argue in favor of data usage caps multiple times on this thread by bashing others comments and the information they provide without providing any actual data of your own to support your cynical view. Thanks!
I just did an interview this afternoon with the Vancouver Sun about Shaw’s wallet-biting, and we just wrote up Shaw’s convenient usage cap allowance REDUCTION they tried to sneak past consumers. It is very nice to see the Canadian broadcast media FINALLY noticing the rape and pillage broadband pricing across Canada. Stop the Cap! goes out of its way to try and find news video and other clips to accompany many of our stories, and I have to report finding news reports from Canadian stations about broadband is quite rare in comparison to the USA. But now that Bell’s Usage-Based… Read more »
Open the market to foreign telecoms, give Shaw some real competition from Verizon.
news i found few days ago. In respond to the growing public outcry over facing less bandwidth coupled with higher prices, one of the senior Conservative government officials admitted that Prime Minister Harper and the Minister of Industry would reverse this ruling if only the CRTC doesn’t do it itself. Discontent of the Canadian citizens keeps growing over the implementing the CRTC’s decision which allows Bell Canada to switch to usage-based billing for their GAS users. The decision will only lead to higher prices and less bandwidth, so the Conservative government brought its attention to the development. Just a few… Read more »
https://www.ctvnews.ca/crtc-delays-internet-billing-change-review-pending-1.603479