Telecom

It's not surprising that Telus (one of Canada's worst corporate citizens, union-busting and shipping BC jobs off to the Philippines)also cares little for its customers. It's all about the bonuses and options for the execs, and providing services that cost money doesn't help the stock price.

Slow?

My Shaw internet, the base version, downloads at an average of 25mb/s. Three years ago it ran at 5mb/s. The price has not gone up.

Let's look at population density for two of the compared countries. South Korea, for example, has 45,000,000 in a country the size of Vancouver Island. What does that do for your infrastructure costs? Between Tokyo and Osaka there are 100,000,000.

"But the BCLiberals need Big Telecom campaign donations so Gordon Campbell would put a quick stop to that nonsense."

This is patent nonsense. Telecoms are federally regulated and have nothing to do with the provincial government.

Seth:Co-operatives, economic democracy & broadband

Gonna require citizens doing it for themselves. Stay tuned, its about to happen.Exactly a co-operative should do the trick...just like Mountain Equipment Co-op or Vancity or???....Indeed if you're tired of being ripped by the private uber-capitalists, and if our Accenture owned "BC Hydro" and their Fiberal masters can't see the "green" light on this, and Vision, while thankfully passing Andrea Reimer's "open access" bylaw -still continues to fidget on this issue, well then Seth you are right, citizens, empowered, determined to democratize and build a more inclusive participatory democracy and ECONOMY, must do it themselves. Count me in. I believe in the power of co-ops..Also, in this contracting economy --economic democracy, greater social/public control ..is something the taxpayer ought to get back from the billions of taxpayer funded corporate welfare being handed out...but neither Harpo or Gordo or Jacko or Iggyo or Jane or Carole or the CRTTC get it...Obama seems to get it though..GM ain't getting millions without giving up control on their board to government regulation & oversight. Give me a call Seth, 604 255-1340...I want to talk.

wilfred after the Tieleman beating

Still smarting from that one I see!!!

The base shaw plan is $30 a month + tax at a speed of 256 kbs.

I thought you said somewhere you were an engineer. Perhaps you need to requalify? Civil maybe?

The highest speed shaw is $102 + tax and claims 25 mbps a second of download speed. Considering you share the channel with hundreds of other subscribers that 25 mbps would be burst mode only. Sustained downloads would be much slower.

The cost of providing Telecom in a city or town is the roughly same in Singapore as it is in Vancouver or Williams lake. The outlying areas could easily be covered at a very low cost with WiMax. Even with their ancient snails pace steam age equipment Canadian Telecoms are making enormous profits on internet.

What do Telecoms being federally regulated have to do with campaign donations? Telecoms can donate to whomever whenever for whatever reason. For example if Telus or Shaw wants to get a rezoning change to put in a new building and a particular council member or MLA stands in the way, why a few dollars to the campaign coffer can't hurt in getting that politician to take another look. Similarly if BCHydro or a municipal utility was to look at opening up its smart metering fibre to the public or if the city planned on adding wifi on its street light poles why a coupla bucks in baksheesh into the premier's or a few councilor's campaign donation piggy bank wouldn't hurt now would it?

Citizens doing it for themselves have a look at www.vonic.ca.

Correction

"The base shaw plan is $30 a month + tax at a speed of 256 kbs."

This is not the base plan. You are speaking of the "High Speed Lite" plan. The high speed plan is $42.95 per month and it is considered the first step. I find the connection reliable and fast.

Finally, Seth, if you are not happy with the present ISP and telecoms, you can write your MP or to the CRTC since it is their jurisdiction.

What are we not getting?

"Most Canadians recognize the critical importance of broadband networks for communication, commerce, education, and access to knowledge."

Agreed (although I would prefer the term "information" to "knowledge" - a fallacy of the information age equates information with knowledge - not so - information can be delivered, knowledge takes effort to develop on the part of the receiver), but, what are we losing with higher costs and slower speeds?

Aren't we just slowing down our ability to watch pirated (and not) videos, buy stuff and contribute to the inane online universe? I'll note that a super high-speed internet connection is not required to read information online, contribute to forums such as this one or do most online communication. Faster connections are required for playing video games and passively absorbing media generated by others.

What do we NOT GET by having these slow speeds? Maybe its an indirect benefit because it forces us to live our lives not mediated by a computer screen? Internet can be a negative force in our lives and culture. Maybe these deterrents (similar to deterrents we place on other harmful things) are a benefit?

This article takes the assumption that we should always strive for more, cheaper and faster with technology. Kind of reminds me of the past 150 years of industrial revolution that we criticise so much. This attitude creates waste, obsolescence and a continuing need for more work and time on the part of the user.

shabbaranks Good point

To which I'd only add the important codicil that much of the so-called 'information' is inaccurate, incomplete, biased and spun for commercial or political purposes.

Other than that it's hard to disagree with much of your post.

Oligopolies Again

The primary problem with the kind of oligopolistic practices that we see in Canada with respect to broadband access is that they will reduce competitiveness for all business that uses information technology, which these days is everyone. There will be a lack of investment in technologies that improve communications, particularly of homegrown technologies, because the won't exist due to innovation being stifled.

But the hardest hit sector will be those that use broadband the most, and that's companies in the information technology arena. They are the heaviest users, and the lower the costs, the faster the speeds, and basically the better the technology, the better companies, particularly small companies in IT will be able to function. It's not just about costs, it's also about being able to conduct research related to advancing the technology.

We just saw the declared bankruptcy of GM, a company that relied entirely on having a protected and privileged oligopolistic position. In the long run that kind of behavior stifles innovation, raises costs, and creates behemoth corporations that are "too big to fail" and "have" to be bailed out by the public because so much of the economy depends on just that one wasteful slothful extortionist.

Moreover as we've seen these corporations actively work against the public interest, using their position and money to influence politicians by preventing positive public policy like stronger environmental regulations, and encouraging policy that fattens their bottom line, like subsidized highway construction. In the case of broadband providers they stifle wireless innovations, as well as programs for free or cheap public access.

It's terribly shortsighted.

My Shaw internet, the base

My Shaw internet, the base version, downloads at an average of 25mb/s. Three years ago it ran at 5mb/s. The price has not gone up.

------------

So they say but I have hi speed and I am lucky to get 1 mb/s, the odd time I do hit 2 mb...but it is usually 0.7 - 0.9 mb/s even though I pay for more .....

Is cable TV still a bargain?

About ten years ago, a consultant for Audio & Video marketing gear told me after traveling in the USA and finding out about their cable TV rates, he realized what a good deal Canadian consumers get for what they pay.

I wonder how Internet service evolved differently to come to such a pathetic result.

I use a non-Telus DSL supplier and they have been upgrading their network as Telus, who is responsible for the lines, upgrades them.

"Oligopolies Again" ? What else?

We can slice and dice the bytes 'til we're blue in the face, but in the end the problems wind up just where James Burns puts them :

"Moreover as we've seen these corporations actively work against the public interest, using their position and money to influence politicians by preventing positive public policy......."

Obviously, it is futile to hope that the solutions to the various Net problems - as with all our other Corporation-related ills - will be dealt with through effective regulations.

The prior requirement before that can happen is that the Corporations are knee-capped at the ballot box.

Hurrah, we're number 28

Although our ISPs offer slow speeds, they make up for it with high prices.

There is a little more information about how Dr. Geist embarrassed the Conference Board of Canada recently, catching them in the "Cut and Paste Caper."

http://northerninsights.blogspot.com/

Why faster can be better

"Faster connections are required for playing video games and passively absorbing media generated by others.

What do we NOT GET by having these slow speeds?"

Shabbaranks:

I agree with your clarification re: knowledge vs information, but can provide a good reason for higher speeds personally. Since I use Youtube as a means of disseminating videos for professional/marketing purposes and sometimes have to download media files to view, the slow upload/download speeds cost me time/money. Better Internet service is a business advantage for some of us.

forgot to add

uploading to Blogger etc can be pokey too. More time wasted when I need to be tippy-tap typing.

such a funny man

"if you are not happy with the present ISP and telecoms, you can write your MP or to the CRTC since it is their jurisdiction."

Now that would work for sure!!!

You are forgetting lobbyists, influence peddling, free lunches and campaign donations - all forms of baksheesh.

importance of real broadband

Like the Stump said real broadband brings the ability to reach the masses with television quality messages/programs to everybody. Bypass Canwest global.

It also can allow us to skip travel with super advanced teleconferencing - just like being in the same room. Lets add telecommuting to that and the potential energy savings in broadband become enormous.

It also can allow rural people access to big city jobs and big city people to move back to the country.

It allows third work folk to participate in the information age. For example people in the middle of African now have access to the full course load from MIT.

Willy ol' buddy

Fact is, Canada has been putting satellites into orbit for 50 years now. We SHOULD have a system of communicastions that allows us access from every Canuck TO every Canuck, and financed the way roads are. And it doesn't matter one whit what the population densities are.

I would suggest that we get

I would suggest that we get broadband everywhere before we whine about how slow it is. I live in the hinterland (which is most of Canada) and the only highspeed available is by satellite and it is very expensive and is very slow. Telus now has a broadband available, but it is spotty and is only vaguely better than dial-up.
And I when I go visit friends with high speed, it takes my breath away. I would suggest that you are all spoiled rotten. And why do need a lot of bandwidth so that people can play games better. Please.