Telemanagement: CRTC begins usage-based billing hearings

By Anthony Gabryluk for Telemanagement

Consumer advocates have told the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) that big telecommunications companies should address the issue of internet congestion by investing more in their networks.

Steve Anderson, executive director of Open Media, told the Commission that Canadians should not be deterred from using the internet more. Mr. Anderson made his presentation jointly with Tahir Israel, staff lawyer for the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC) at the University of Ottawa.

Earlier this year Open Media collected 400,000 signatures as part of a campaign against Bell’s usage-based billing (UBB) proposal, which would have allowed for increased charges to smaller, third-party internet service providers (ISPs). These ISPs act as wholesale customers, who can then re-sell internet packages to their own retail customers. In effect, UBB would have made it harder for these ISPs to compete against the big Read more »

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