Canadians React With Anger to New Internet Usage Caps

[vxicepickxv]

I struggle to sympathise with this. In the UK some plans have a 1 or 2 Gb monthly limit. 20Gb is condidered unlimited by some companies. I've found that heavy browsing uses about 2Gb a month, so that still leaves 18Gb from a UK limit. I don't really see the problem!?

What the fuck?
Heavy Youtube browsing can use up to 2GB a day. Not to mention this also includes uploads.

If you consider 2GB a month heavy browsing I really want to see how much you browse.

I hit more than 2GB a DAY for a month straight with Steam alone. That's not counting GOG, Youtube, The Escapist, Netflix, PS3 patches and game updates, and Twitter.

Come to think of it, I haven't hit my invisible Comcast cap yet. They also haven't responded to my FOIA request yet either.

 

[HellsingerAngel]

I'm not a canadian (and thanks god for that!), but let me ask one question:

What's the reason of this?

I just can't see how limiting access to internet has anything to do with the public interest. It's not like internet is non-renewable resource - it's unlimited.

It's the infrastructure cost. The government doesn't really put much money into this, as of my knowledge, and it is completely supported by one company, Bell Canada. They've laid out every single phone line, DSL line and fiber-optic line to date and that costs quite a bit. Over one million dollars wnet into upgrade alone within about three months time upgrading certain areas to fiber-optics. The problem is that to maintain the infastructure costs pennies. Pennies! 1 GB of information routed through a server is equivelent to one penny lost. I understand a company needs to recover losses on building a network, but the rates they charge are far too high to just be recovering that. If we got some help from the government, I.E. the CRTC, like they promised, we wouldn't be in this mess. Alas, our government is about as bad as the rest of them...

 

[dibblywibbles]

the CRTC has never had the interest of the Canadian people in mind in any of its decisions. Can-Con, internet usage caps, the fact that CRTC board members are mainly ex bell or rogers executives reduces faith in the entire system. Choice and freedom has always been limited by these bastards. I doubt the conservatives will do anything about this because they're all a bunch of scumbag liars.

 

[Atmos Duality]

If the network infrastructure were stressed to the breaking point, and the ISPs weren't capable of reinvesting their profits into expanding their system's backbone (like they're supposed to), I would agree that a bandwidth cap is necessary.

But that isn't the case; at all. This law is universally one-sided against the end users, and for no damn good reason.

 

[kebab4you]

As spineless as Sweden is I'm glad our internet provider isn't this greedy. I feel for you Canadians, if my provider would put a limit on my 100MBit I would change instantly ._.

 

[digital warrior]

I certainly hope for the sake of Canadian gamers that this doesn't come to pass. Some Steam games weigh in on the wrong side of 15 gigs, you could easily exceed the cap in a week.

It's already being done, i can hardly stream movies online because rogers gouges me and have bullshit caps unless you go with their insane and most expensive service.

 

[mrF00bar]

I smell a bribe...

 

[Claptrap]

200gb? In the uk, I have 10gb a month and that works fine for me....


What do you do with all that...

 

[Antitonic]

I cried a little when I read "only 25 GB per month in Ontario". Damn Australian internet means that this is the best I can hope for atm.

True. And what speeds does that 25GB plan get?

Good old Telstra, and its 20GB, $100/m, 1Mb/s plan. This is (as far as I can tell) half-way decent Internet here

 

[DarkShadow144]

well, there goes my plans to move to canada

 

[HentMas]

ok, this might be a missconseption but having met several canadians in my life, all of them say "Quebec is where the crazy people live" regarding politics

i have NO idea why is that (something about france and stuff i didnt pay too much attention)

but i find it funny that every time something happens in Canada that seems unreasonable or (pardon my opinion) stupid, it comes from Quebec

all i can say, damn, they want to charge the internet as they charge for elctricity???

thats nuts!

 

[Karilas]

You're serious!?

I struggle to sympathise with this. In the UK some plans have a 1 or 2 Gb monthly limit. 20Gb is condidered unlimited by some companies. I've found that heavy browsing uses about 2Gb a month, so that still leaves 18Gb from a UK limit. I don't really see the problem!?

What's your definition of heavy browsing?

I've got an odd capping system, I'm limited to 20 gig a month at peak time [4pm til midnight], but uncapped the rest of the time. Given that an evening of iPlayer or 4OD can easily eat up 2 or 3 gig, same goes for Youtube and all the escapist videos and the like. This means at the times when most people would want to watch some TV they are most limited to do so. This fair sucks balls for me because I don't have a TV aerial.

 

[chozo_hybrid]

Other countries have always had it like this, like mine for example. To be honest, who needs some of those massive bandwidths. I make do with a 60 gig with my flatmates just fine. If we go over, we pay a little extra is all.

 

[Javelk]

Well, this is what happens when you privitize utilities. Over the past 10 or so years the price of EVERYTHING has gone up. It's just "Wealth Addiction" plain and simple. These bastards can't take it with them so they're not letting you have it eiether.

 

[p3t3r]

I struggle to sympathise with this. In the UK some plans have a 1 or 2 Gb monthly limit. 20Gb is condidered unlimited by some companies. I've found that heavy browsing uses about 2Gb a month, so that still leaves 18Gb from a UK limit. I don't really see the problem!?

then you download a game from steam and watch some movies on netflix. if you are into digital distributional you can go over it in a hurry

i used to have a cap of 2gb then i downloader maple story and we went way over and i got in trouble. then mw2 online happened so now we have 20gb cap.

 

[NeoAC]

Yeah, I was extremely pissed when this passed by the CRTC. Consumer's interests my ass. I have Eastlink while I'm down here at university, which is under Shaw's thumb, so an increase would hurt me here. Thank god I'm not actually with Bell. Fortunately at home I'm on Seascape, which is outside the conglomerate of evil that controls the communications processes up here. Unfortunately, Seascape is no where near strong enough to run anything. 1 CoD match if I'm lucky. It's like was stated in the article. This is a cash grab, pure and simple by Bell. I don't use them for anything, and I'll do my best to try and convince my mom to switch off of Bell, whom she uses for TV and cell phones. Something to try and show that I'm not happy with this and neither is the public.

 

[Wildflowers]

http://www.shaw.ca/en-ca/ProductsServices/Internet/newdatausage?utm_source=shawca&utm_medium=textlink&utm_content=hslanding&utm_campaign=datausage

Exactly how many of you are downloading more than 40 frickin movies a month? And further, exactly how many of you are expecting me, the average consumer (re: downloading a steam game a week plus Rockband DLC and streaming netflix) to live on a shitty network connection because YOUR stupid ass leaves your bit torrent on 24/7 and fucks up my bandwidth?

Get real! The *entire* game of World of Warcraft is 32 gigs. And if you need to download that more than once a month, you need serious computer maintenance! IF you are downloading an entire movie, its still going to be from 600-1500 mbs UNZIPPED. Thats about 2 hours of TV per gig. Are you telling me you are downloading 200 UNZIPPED HOURS OF TV/MOVIES A MONTH?!

Try to maintain some frickin perspective.

 

[Quaxar]

Wow...Canadians react with anger? That is a headline itself. I didn't know that was possible!

It's just like the Canadian Hockey League only there are no viewers, just players.

Anyway, this sure is a pretty bold move for a country claiming to be America's hat!

 

[captaincabbage]

I live in Canada, and this is such a disappointment. I have to MONITOR my activity? I mean, for other people it's second nature, but once you have something for so long, it just seems like a public middle finger. Looks like the multi-million dollar companies can't get enough.

Pure unnecessary greed.

Welcome to Australia mate, where things have always been this shitty.