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U.S. Robotics Courier dial-up modem
From the “It Could Be Worse”-Department, the Canadian Press reports hundreds of thousands of Canadians are still stuck in the dial-up world, either because they live too far away from a cable company, their local phone company will not extend DSL service to their home, or they cannot afford the high prices Internet Service Providers charge for the service.
The National Capital Free-Net, one of the oldest Free-Net dial-up networks, still has 3,600 users in the Ottawa area looking for low-cost or free access.
The broadband-less account for up to 366,000 Canadians still stuck in the Internet slow lane, with large concentrations in rural areas creating problems for a country that increasingly turns online for information, entertainment, and education.
While many consumers can recall the dial-up experience of a decade ago, today’s online world is replete with multimedia-rich advertising, complicated web pages, and other content that was never designed for anything less than a broadband connection.
CP found the Toronto Blue Jays’ official website features more than four megabytes of content, including pre-loading embedded video and graphics. In all, nearly ten minutes passed before the website gradually loaded to completion. Other comparatively “small” websites with a megabyte of content still took 4-5 minutes to finish, enough time to grab a cup of coffee.
As web pages become even more complex, dial-up users are now starting to avoid the web altogether, preferring to focus on e-mail and only the most essential online services. Some more tech-savvy users use content filtering software to block ads or shut off graphics, but that only goes so far. Today’s online banking and commerce sites often use plug-ins to handle transactions, which further complicates checking bank balances or paying bills online.
While users familiar with the time it takes to send complex images or sound files across a dial-up connection avoid including them in e-mail messages, broadband users don’t think twice.
That forces some dial-up users to discriminate.
[Ross Kouhi, executive director for the National Capital FreeNet] has a sister who lives in a rural area and until recently only had dial-up access. His family learned to leave her out of group emails when it came to sharing photos, he says.
“You always have to remember to not send the big pictures to the one sister, to save her the grief, because she would say it would take her all night to download a big pile of photographs,” Kouhi says.
“And she’d come back in the morning and they weren’t anything she wanted to see anyways.”
The problem will not get resolved until phone and cable companies broaden access to the Internet in more rural communities and lower the price for income-challenged consumers that cannot afford an extra $30 a month for broadband access. Without reform, a cross-section of Canada will continue to endure a digital divide.
Other stories of interest:
- Why Does AOL Dial-Up Still Have 3.5 Million Subscribers?
- No Internet for 1/5th of Canadian Homes: Too Expensive, Too Slow, and Too Often Not Available
- Netflix to Launch Unlimited Streaming for Canadians Stuck With Limited Broadband
- World Wide Wait: DSL = (D)ead, (S)low and (L)ousy — the Dial-Up of the 2010s, Says Analyst
- Want Rural 21st Century Broadband? Form a Co-Op or Wait Indefinitely for Someone Else to Provide It
i think that “lite” Internet plans (like the ones offered at TekSavvy for $25/month for 2 Mbit/s DSL or 3 Mbit/s cable, with 25 GB usage and DSL’s unlimited usage period) are reasonably priced, and the only thing preventing the lower prices is that fact that most of the monthly fee goes to the incumbent (Bell, Rogers, etc.) ISP. There needs to be a greater awareness of which independent ISPs exist, however. National Capital Freenet should also consider offering a $25/month “lite” DSL plan, with perhaps a pricier plan for faster service.
Dial-up does not really make sense for a low-income family. Even if the Internet is free, the phone line still has to be paid. This normally costs $25/month or more. Replacing this with an inexpensive prepaid cell phone would be better. Mobile broadband or a “lite” cable plan (not DSL, because it requires another monthly fee for dry loop or a phone line) could then be afforded for much faster Internet speeds instead of a home phone line.
Those without access to cable, DSL, or affordably fast mobile broadband are unfortunately stuck. Their Internet is mostly designed for text only, and few pictures should be downloaded. Compressors like Opera Turbo can help a little, but having a faster Internet connection is obviously a better option.
I absolutely agree there needs to be greater awareness of independent options Canadian consumers have for broadband. I routinely talk with media and individuals in Canada who honestly have no idea there are options other than Bell, Telus, Rogers, Vidéotron, Cogeco, and Shaw. The independent ISP trade association desperately needs to fund an awareness campaign.
The problem with cell service in apparent as soon as you travel to western Canada. Driving all over Alberta in 2007 found plenty of service in Calgary and tourist spots like Banff, but large stretches in-between with absolutely nothing. I’ve been to several rural communities that existed only because of Canada’s railroad boom of generations past who are lucky to have a telephone line and depend on their satellite dish for entertainment. No broadband anywhere in town then and I am told it remains the case now.
It’s different in Ontario and Quebec of course, where the real problem there is the gouging rates (I’m talking to you Rogers and Bell.)