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National Broadband Access
InterlockingP writes: "The Canadian government, after promising high-speed internet access for every community in the country by 2004, has concluded a report on the cost of implementing such a scheme. The total cost, from $1.85 billion to $4.5 billion ($CAN), would be shared by all levels of government and the private sector. Has any other country even addressed this issue yet? It looks like Canada is leading the way (again) with increasing availability of cheap internet access for all to enjoy. The story is covered in the Toronto Star and in The Globe and Mail."
Now please try explaining how, in this day and age, you can be a fully functioning member of society without electricity. Unibomber doesn't count.
Nice troll, though.
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Forget Napster. Why not really break the law?
"Remember when the U.S. had a drug problem, and then we declared a War On Drugs, and now you can't buy drugs anymore?"
Knowledge, after all, is power.
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Forget Napster. Why not really break the law?
"Remember when the U.S. had a drug problem, and then we declared a War On Drugs, and now you can't buy drugs anymore?"
To even begin to compare the need for electrification with the perceived "need" for www.hot-sluts.com is laughable, at best.
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Forget Napster. Why not really break the law?
"Remember when the U.S. had a drug problem, and then we declared a War On Drugs, and now you can't buy drugs anymore?"
I like it. It's a good idea. The US should do something similar to this, the same way they funded the Interstate Highway System and funded the Electrifcation of rural areas in the 1930s-1960s.
Rural areas are being left behind when it comes to broadband, and in some places (Cheyenne River Indian Reservation of South Dakota) you can't even get a local dial-up number.
"With my libertarian ideals"...
Most people who start off like that are Americans. This isn't meant as flamebait, but Americans seem to have a rather unique perspective in the western world concerning society and trust of government. As far as Canada is concerned, I think Stockwell Day and his Canadian Alliance party may have been taking lessions from south of the border. But for a majority of people in the north western hemisphere (excluding the US), there is more trust of governemt and an expectation that the government will do what is right for society in general, providing a better standard of living the poor, potentially at the expense of the rich. This contrasts highly with the US were people seem more interested in themselves and getting to the top at everybody else's expense. Americans have such an obsession with money!
Canada has twice the space, a tenth the population.
The issue is DISTANCE.. We're already more wired then anybody (depending whos study you believe) in the cities, it's getting a fat pipe out to no-where-land-up-north that's an issue.. Goverment takes care of digging up the landscape (railways, roads, fibers, they're good at that), private companies ultimatly run the ISPs..
I grew up in a rural location living on crappy copper I could hardly "CONNECT 1200BPS" on, even if there was a BBS in my tiny little local calling area..
I'd be happy to spend my tax dollars getting it so any kid, anywhere in Canada, gets the same deal online..
Communications is what ties a nation together and say what you will about the Canadian goverment, they understand that Canada has some issues with 'together'.. For my money, some kind of national ethernet would really help with that..
Besides, Canada is also one of the home of Nortel and JDS-Uniphase, we do know how to do some tricks with fiber and networks..
Maybe internet access should be entirely funded by the government just like public roads and highways.
Given the moon-crater-like surface of the highways around here, I'd say NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
Now, if local governments would kindly get out of the way and let folks string up neighborhoods with new fiber someone could build decent Internet access. Unfortunately, they granted these things called LEGAL MONOPOLIES to the cable company in exchange for taxes--er, "franchise fees"...
Hope InterlockingP is also happy when the Canadian Government decides that "256Kb/sec is plenty fast enough", or that the children should be protected by mandatory access filters.
You're usually safe to assume that Government-provided services are more expensive and/or more intrusive than privately paid for services. The last US-Government program that was cheap and worked really well was the Homestead Act, which resulted in the death or displacement of thousands of Indians.
Potato chips are a by-yourself food.
People in the US have phones because there is a universal phone charge on the bill to collect money that goes into a fund to build out phoine service to rural and poor areas that can't afford it or where the telco doesn't want to. It sure wasn't because the silver haired angels at the phone company just wanted to out of the goodness of their hearts or because they thought they might make some money at it some day. In fact what is happening now in the US west is that USWEST and PacBel are pulling whole towns off the grid because of some 'changes' in the law that allows them to charge the 'full cost' for dragging service to some far off off village. When the phone company presents a $100,000 or so charge to a town of a 100 people they say 'Stuff It' and go wireless.
It's like the rural electrification program which I'm sure some blockhead Libertarian would say is bad because if people WANT electricity they should move to the city.
The real problem is that countries like the US and the UK for example auction off G3 spectrum to the highest bidder and the phone companies spent more money to snap it up than it would have cost to actually provide broadband service to every household in the country. This is true of the UK at least. So in order to keep the services away from you or I they buy the bandwidth and put it on a shelf. This protects their oligopolies in local and long distance service and keeps the other providers from encroaching through the wireless space. Oh an BTW since the auctions cost so much money the telcos get to petition for rate increases for all of the other services because now they're so leveraged.
Our privacy commish bashed the government in the chops, when it tried to integrate a half-dozen unrelated information systems into one system, all in the name of efficiency.
There was a helluva outcry about having a whole bunch of our records all in the same database.
The privacy commish made the government revert back to the old separated databases, out of concern that the uncivil servants shouldn't be able to look willynilly through our data. Revenue Canada employees simply don't need to know my medical records, vice versa, etc.
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The USA is already behind Canada wrt broadband access, and per-capita use of the Internet. Canada is in position #2. Believe it's one of the Scandinavian countries (perhaps Finland?) that's #1 for being wired.
The USA has always lagged behind Canada when it comes to telecommunications. Our monopoly telcos were permitted under the provision that they provide universal service.
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Everyone in Canada got a phone connection because our telcos were guaranteed monopoly control *in return for* universal service.
:-(
This was a Very Good Thing.
The telcos benefitted: they had a secure, non-competitive market, with readily predictable costs and profits.
The consumers benefitted: we had service guarantees and rate restrictions.
For the longest time, the telco supplied the phones and were responsible for *every* problem with them, from the central office to the speaker. Inside or outside your house, the repair bill was on their tab.
And for the longest time, we had extremely low monthly lease fees, free local calling, and moderately low long-distance fees.
With the introduction of telco competition, we now have to pay outrageous hourly rates for any repair work done from the outside wall of our homes, pretty much have to buy our own phones, pay double to triple the monthly lease fee, still have free local calling, and have cheap long-distance.
Overall, I think we're on the losing side of things: except for the people who really yack it up on long-distance, having a phone is more expensive than it used to be.
Ironically, the monopoly telcos are still quite healthy, while all the would-be competition is struggling to stay afloat. In the end, we may wind up with monopolies once more... but this time, monopolies that aren't controlled by a consumer regulatory board. Ouch.
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Bullshit.
It's the Americans who got bitchslapped with the DMCA. It's the Americans who got put over the barrel with education funding tied to school Internet filters. And so on.
America is not the home of the free. Not any more. Not since the corporations became powerful people.
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No doubt, some people slip through the cracks, and some fuckups happen.
But do you really think you'd be any better in any other country? In the USA, f'rinstance, your insurer would do everything possible to avoid paying out: try to blame it on your genetics, blame it on something you did, blame it on anything to just avoid paying.
We need to fix the problems our system has, but we can't just throw it out; that'd be a cure worse than the problem!
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Here, chew on this *American* bit of media coverage of our healthcare system: [Canada's Burning!
Media myths about universal health coverage].
You've been lied to by corporate interests in your country. And you *believed* what they told you. To shame!
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Look on the bright side, the doctor who will see you will be using a VR rig because he can afford to live in TO while you have to live in Hamilton because of your tax bill.
But you'll still get a good doctor.
MSBPodcast.com The opinions expressed here are my own. If you don't like 'em... Think up your own stuff.
Our government is less intrusive and far less restrictive that the US's. (We get cable porn disguised as "art," we smoke pot and don't risk arrest, a criminal record and anal probes by nasty goons for a crummy joint. :-)
At least Chretien knows how many mukes everybody's got. Did you see Dubya's face when somebody told him how many he's got to play with.
The rest of the world needs a shield from the US, NOT the other way around.
You elected him...Uh, you didn't. Bwahaha...
No I sit corrected. You're not a democracy either.
MSBPodcast.com The opinions expressed here are my own. If you don't like 'em... Think up your own stuff.
What do you mean "loss entirely on paper"? Based on that, ALL losses are on paper. Nortel is admitting that (x) bazillion bucks of the shareholder's equity is now worthless. That isn't a paper loss.
Imagine you buy a diamond from me for $1,000,000. You put it on your "books" as a $1m asset. The next day you find out you have a worthless piece of glass. Is your $1m "loss" just on paper? I think not.
Nice idea, but here in the US they'd probably want the States to raise their drinking age again to get the Federal funding, just like they did with the Interstates. Before you know it, I'll be an underage drinker again.
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"Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next.
Hmm... the only thing north of Canada is the former USSR, if you go past the pole and keep going south.
If you mean the USA, the only thing north of them is Canada, and we're having trouble replacing our 30 year old rescue copters.
I guess it's true what they say about Americans' lack of geography skills.
It doesn't mean much now, it's built for the future.
Okay, somehow has to offer up the standard libertarian opposition to this proposal...
Freedom means the absence of coercion. The non-initiation of force. In order for this proposal to be implemented, there has to be a hell of a lot of coercion going on, namely in the acquisition of taxes. You will give us your money or you will go to court, and possibly jail, and if you resist going to jail we will shoot you. You do not have a choice. You will do what we say.
Now how does internet access work in the rest of the world? The same way the internet itself works. Through the free market. I don't know what's happening in southern North Dakota, but in *rural* California high-speed internet access is popping up everywhere. A friend in the middle of nowhere gets megabit connection speeds over Sprint Wireless. DSL, cable, wireless. It's all happening without anyone needing to be taxed.
I have no idea how everyone in Canada got a phone connection. But everyone in the US living in a community of over 500 has one. My grandparents got hooked up in 1930 when their nearest neighbor was two miles away and the nearest town was fifty miles away. Granted, this is dense suburbia compared to Canada's Yukon, but it still happened without the government creating a national phone service initiative.
If I haven't pissed all of the geeks off yet by not proclaiming my allegience to socialism, the following statement will. Not everyone needs high speed internet access. Hell. No one needs high speed internet access. They may want it but they don't *need* it. No one died last year for not having it, and I seriously doubt anyone will die next year for not having it. It's so nice to know that Canada has solved all of its problems except for this last little thing...
A Government Is a Body of People, Usually Notably Ungoverned
If reducing the speed to 55MPH saved so many lives, then why not reduce it even further? What if the speed limit on I-5 were 25 miles per hour? Boy, that would save a lot of lives! If the Bush Administration wasn't so Evil, they would deny highway funds to any state that doesn't lower the speed limit to 15MPH. Because they don't they must intend for people to die.
A Government Is a Body of People, Usually Notably Ungoverned
When a corporation wants to charge you something you can refuse. When the government wants to charge you something, and you refuse, you go to jail. If you resist going to jail you will be shot.
I didn't like what Microsoft was selling, so I didn't buy it. I didn't like what the government was selling, but they sent their goons to collect anyway.
A Government Is a Body of People, Usually Notably Ungoverned
This isn't about just building a government controlled network. Far from it.
This is about how the government can assist the private sector in building this network. This means grants, right of ways, etc. This means subsidies for small communities so they, too, can have broadband.
I don't like the in-your-face-canada-rocks attitude (And I'm canadian) either.
On one respect, folks, we dont' want the government 'dictating' what we can do. In other respects, isn't it the job of government to set certain standards of living, and help society accomplish them?
"It looks like Canada is leading the way (again)"...
Uhhh. Leading the way into erosion of individual
liberty, maybe. Remember, folks: Liberty, good. Government, bad.
Government is a necessary evil whose sole purpose of existence is to protect its citizens' liberty.
Government == coersion.
Please don't let the wonderful, but incorrect conception of "free" broadband disturb your ideological foundations.
If you think that every Canadian should have free broadband access, form a Foundation, donate to it, and petition philanthropists to donate to it. Don't take the Canadian citizens' property and money at gunpoint and use it for 'their own good'.
Logical
In fact, if the infrastructure is owned by the people (that is, citizens of the country, via the government) then it'll be a lot less suceptible to pushing around by the megacorps. What ISP do you know that won't roll over if AOL/T-W comes knocking? Oh yeah - AOL. They just start in a pre-rolled-over state.
The Signal/Noise ratio can be improved in two ways. Remaining silent is the OTHER way.
Note that I said, "useful" - this does not imply it's useful to everyone.
The Signal/Noise ratio can be improved in two ways. Remaining silent is the OTHER way.
how many inhabitants does Canada have? 20 millions?
31 million. Australia is in the 20-million range.
Sounds like they're in trouble. Maybe it's the BSD license. GPL == immortality.
Are Americians really this stupid?!?
Hey, it's a valid concern now that global warming is causing the ice blocks that the Parlaiment buildings are made out of to melt!
If I were a poor person in Canada I would be outraged that I was forced to pay for highways for everyone in the country when I couldn't even come close to affording a car for myself!
Interesting but a little short-sighted. Most poor people can afford to ride a bus. There's also a clever phrase "if you've got it, a truck brought it." No modern economy or society would function without a massive transportation infrastructure. You are critically dependent on this whether you own a car or not.
Hehe. You do realize that the V-Chip was invented, and patented by Tim Colins, a lab engineer in the Engineering Department at Simon Fraser University, in Burnaby BC right? And besides, imho there's nothing wrong with the V-Chip, since, well, the control rests with the parents, not with any larger organization.
...si hoc legere nimium eruditionis habes...
Yet.
...si hoc legere nimium eruditionis habes...
http://www.usda.gov/rus/electric/
Maybe internet access should be entirely funded by the government just like public roads and highways. After all, it is called the information superhighway. Besides, society benefits as a whole from increased communication.
If it wasn't in the government's red book from before the election, I could have more liscence with this. But their timing is something else. Who do you think is going to profit heavily from this expansion? I'll give you a hint. They've got a blue logo, located in Ottawa, and no, it's not IBM. Methinks the boys in Ottawa are a little concerned their RRSP's went south in a hurry because of said-unnamed company. In my humble opinion, anyhow.
Is this a good thing? Maybe. On the surface it's great, but most of the time in Canada (and yes, I am Canadian) private-public partnerships usually mean that the little guy (e.g. mom and pop ISP's) take it up the a$$ because they don't have the political connections, and that makes me sick.
..don't panic
It WILL end up being a slave to pro-government interest groups as the CBC is.
Do you ever listen to CBC radio? CBC television is another issue - I'd be more in favour of getting rid of that some of that rubbish - but CBC Radio and Radio Canada, along with snow removal, are one of the few things my near 50% effective income tax rate buys me in this country. The news reporting is actually good and insightful, more importantly, it's the most balanced reporting you hear anywhere IMHO. Their programs are excellent, and they actually play music that isn't top 40. Wow! I won't even get into nifty things like internet streaming, which anyone can tune into - even you Americans. (I highly recommend a good shortwave reciever and Radio Canada tho..)
This has to be a troll.. oh well, IHBT.
..don't panic
There would also be some very cool Canadian internet appliances, given the abundant address space and autoconfiguration capabilities.
And I'm not even talking about mobility...
I apologise for this blatent IPv6 plug.
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At least the Canadian government is thinking about spending it's tax dollars on something that might actually be useful to its people.
I gots ta ding a ding dang my dang a long ling long
How will this kind of scheme avoid the same kind of pitfalls that plague nationalized health schemes? I'm not saying that this is a bad move, only that there is a place for competition, and we all benefit from it. For example, does anyone believe Pac Bell would be selling flat-rate DSL if they weren't being forced to fight for customers by other providers?
It looks like Canada is leading the way (again) with increasing availability of cheap internet access for all to enjoy.
Maybe internet access should be entirely funded by the government just like public roads and highways. After all, it is called the information superhighway. Besides, society benefits as a whole from increased communication.
There was a report, I believe yesterday, on BBS World Service (though might have been on an NPR show) saying that Sweden was working on 100% broadband service, making the top four Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark (I may have that order off a bit) with the U.S. lagging behind in fifth place.
The government plans to make broadband access available to all, not to give it away for free.
But, to phrase your argument different: If I were a poor person in Canada I would be outraged that I was forced to pay for highways for everyone in the country when I couldn't even come close to affording a car for myself!
What can't your ISP do whatever they want with your internet connection -- sniff, monitor, log, terminate? They do own it, after all.
First Michael screws over the CensorWare project and now he's extolling the wonders of having the government deliver broadband where users will inevitably get to play by government rules. Not surprising.
Most parts the building has been started i think but i heard that there has been problems getting the funding in places where people dencity is low.
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yush
But bear in mind: their acquisitions were made with Nortel shares (presumably newly issued shares). These would appear on the balance sheet at issue cost, which has now collapsed (down 90% or so from peak).
So, Nortel bought now (nearly) worthless assets with now (nearly) worthless shares.
There is cosmic justice in the world...
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Book(n): Utensil used to pass time while waiting for the TV repairman
Besides, there's no Nortel plant in Shawinigan.
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Book(n): Utensil used to pass time while waiting for the TV repairman
XML causes global warming.
blessings,
"Only in their dreams can men truly be free 'twas always thus, and always thus will be."
--Tom Schulman
> from the can-I-get-DSL-in-my-igloo? dept.
Yes! Given that "iglu" is Inuktitut for any "house" not necessarily "temporary snow shelter," that's exactly what the article describes, assuming your house is of the normal, everyday type found in most developed countries such as Canada, UK, and (surprisingly) USA.
Will I retire or break 10K?
According to the plan, they are only bringing it to communities with educational, health, or government facilities, but that still covers a huge portion of the province.
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no we just have gun registration that is turning out to be horrendously expensive and hugely ineffective. Don't get me wrong, I'm actually pro gun control, and I don't believe that gun ownership is a right, but I have to take issue with your implication that the Canadian governments isn't heavy handed and dictatorial when it suits them. Just look at Chretien's hissy fit when the British government tried to bestow honours on a newspaper owner who critisized him.
. --- If you're looking for free e-mail you won't find it here! http://www.noemailhere.com
I also haven't heard of a kid being expelled from school for posting a website about the faculty at the school in Canada, although in the states...
Oh. Required filtering on school computers if the school wants federal $ is also another wonderful "American" invention.
TBYP
The slashdot 2 minute between postings limit: /.'ers since Spring 2001.
Pissing off coffee drinking
1q2w3e4r5t6y7u8i9o0pqawsedrftgthyjukilo;p'azsxdcf
"Give us your wretched, your tired, your huddled geeks yearning to surf free"
Brings a tear to the eye
Check out the Vinny the Vampire comic strip
"It is a greater offense to steal men's labor, than their clothes"
Unfortunately, the problem with a government funded Internet infrastructure is that you have to abide by government rules.
Let me tell you, Canadians trust their government and value its social institutions - unlike Americans, who have fetishized the free market and sufficiently McCarthy-ized the idea of their gummint enough to Confuse the unwashed...
I would *MUCH* rather see the plan be handled independantly and owned by the nations people - *not* see our government enter some bastard plan to extort us.
This isn't meant as flamebait, but Americans seem to have a rather unique perspective in the western world concerning society and trust of government.
I'll take that as a compliment.
For a majority of people in the north western hemisphere (excluding the US), there is more trust of governemt and an expectation that the government will do what is right for society in general, providing a better standard of living the poor, potentially at the expense of the rich.
In other words, you're socialists. We have those here in America also, but we call them liberals.
This contrasts highly with the US were people seem more interested in themselves and getting to the top at everybody else's expense.
Yeah, and Canadians seem much more interested in drinking beer and watching hockey. But let's stop throwing stereotypes around for a minute, eh?
Americans have such an obsession with money!
You say we're obsessed with money; I say we're obsessed with freedom.
I would much rather live in a place where the government does not control what I can do, take money out of my pocket, take freedom away from me in order to give it to someone else -- at their discretion. If I want to donate my hard-earned money to the needy, let me make that decision, don't force it on me. That's all that income tax is -- taking money away from me to use towards programs I wouldn't normally support by threat of force.
But really, your response has less to do with Canada vs. America than it does to do with Socialism vs. Libertarianism.
"And like that
All the government is doing is ensuring that every town and community has access to high-speed internet. Especially schools, hospitals, and other facilities associated with the government. It's to ensure that even those living in Tuktoyaktuk (yes, it really exists - Hole and Metalica actually had a concert up there a few years ago) will have the same access to educational material as those living in the capital. It's to ensure that growing up in a small community doesn't limit your potential. It's about equality and equal opportunity - and in that aspect is just like our medial system.
Does the privacy commish actually have teeth ? :(
Here in the States we have 'self-policed' privacy laws which of course mean they apply to us as citizens but not to the corp's
Take a look at the links above. The Privacy Act applies specifically to government and public sector entities. PIPEDA applies specifically to corporations.
The Commissioner can audit government and corporations, and investigate complaints. It is illegal to interfere with such an audit or investigation.
I can spell. I just can't type.
British Columbia has a half-decent privacy law. nowhere else does. the federal privacy commissioner only regulates what the government does.
Actually, the phase-in plan for PIPEDA states (don't remember exactly where) that all provinces must either implement a PIPEDA-like law by 2004, or else PIPEDA will apply provincially. I believe Quebec has this already, and I know Ontario is working on it. I don't recall if the federal Privacy Commissioner will preside over this, or if each province will have to appoint one.
But you're probably right -- these laws may not have much to do with PI practises. (There are exceptions for "law enforcement" purposes; I don't know how PI stuff fits into this.)
I still think it's a step in the right direction.
I can spell. I just can't type.
Unfortunately, the problem with a government funded Internet infrastructure is that you have to abide by government rules.
Yes, including Laws, like the Privacy Act (Public Sector) and PIPEDA (Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act -- Private Sector.)
In Canada, we have a Privacy Commissioner to help prevent violations to personal privacy from both the government and corporations. The Commissioner acts as a privacy watchdog -- the role is non-partisan.
It's not perfect, but it's pretty good.
I can spell. I just can't type.
So what? FBI's Carnivore is already sniffing all your email, and your ISP is checking to make sure you aren't running any servers. What's the difference? At least if the government-run ISP pulls your access, you have legal recourse. If @Home terminates you, you're outta luck unless you have DSL available (haha).
If you're really worried about privacy, you'll encrypt everything anyway. That's what PGP, VPN, Freenet, etc. are for. These things weren't created by people worried about a government-run internet service.
With my libertarian ideals, I see internet access as a sector in which government has absolutely no role whatsoever. I would hate to see my tax dollars wasted by wiring every home in the country when it could be being spent on much more rewarding efforts such as direct funding to education. I love my high speed internet access, but I believe its expansion rate is satisfactory without the need for Big Brother to lease a deal of this magnitude to the lowest bidder. I cringe at the thought of my money being used to run cable into the most remote locations of my country for no better reason than my ruling authority can make a meaningless claim.
- Hey Anthony, what's that tape on your nose for? - Exactly. Bottlerocket
That's the beauty of the Internet in its current form - no single entity can pull the plug on it if they don't like what's happening. Or so the theory goes.
As a Canadian who'd love to boast the "right" to broadband access, I cannot. This national pipedream will not happen. Why? Because the whole idea is nothing but political ploy that has nothing to do with the noble goals espoused in the cited report. Consider:
Hope this doesn't sound too cynical. Notwithstanding the fact that Canadians are the largest users of the Net (according to some UN report), people need to see this bogus ploy for what it is. In Canada, if the government is proposing something that sounds too good to be true, you KNOW there's an ulterior motive!
CrazyLegs
"Pork!!" said the Fish, and we all laughed.
This just prooves once again that Canada understands the value of the Internet. One of the things that I noticed while in Canada was the amazing knowledge of the average-connected user. In the US, most people with Intenet access are reserved to e-mailing and Instant messaging, usually using AOL.
However, in Canada, most people online have their own web page, which confirms the fact that Canada has the highest rate of personal domain resgistration per cap. In fact, most Canadians embrace the Internet, and are more connected than ever, utilizing it's true form.
It certianly is a great idea to connect and entire country. Especially the following:
Recommendation 1.1: All communities should be linked to national broadband networks via a high-speed, high-capacity and scalable transport link. This link should be capable of supporting an aggregate of 1.5 megabits per second symmetrical to each end user, as well as support a full range of higher bandwidth requirements to all users and institutions regardless of location.
They're going to offer 1.5 mbps up/down to every person. This is fantastic, much better than what any broadband provider in the states is able to do.
Clearly, Canada understands the value of an open public Internet which is not subject to any one organization or company and is controlled and owned by the people. I just wish Dubya and other politicians would realize the benefits of this ~ Canada is just looking too good with its free WORKING public healthcare, public broadband, and anti-DMCA type consumer protection laws.
"I'll just chip in a bit for RedHat: I actually have that installed on my university machine." - Linus, '95
Yeah yeah, I know, but you gotta admit, a country that's busy having a hissy fit about the UK knighting a few of their citizens (even when it's all the same damn queen to begin with) must not have many more important things to worry about.
that is Canadian tax dollars being used so that the already monopolistic broadband companies in Canada can have an -even larger- customer base without even paying for the expansion.
Of course as a member of slashdot you can bet that I'm probably online way too much and definitely would WANT broadband no matter where I lived in Canada, but that's a lot of money that could go to fund hospitals instead of giving it to some broadband ISPs (which will mean Bell, most likely) to allow them to reach more customers.
Of course it's hard to forget that I'm getting broadband baby! Let's just hope I don't get a heart attack and need some critical surgery only to find out that the money for the operation has gone to fund a project so kids in Yukon could play low-ping counterstrike..
-PYves
that much closer to the national quake team, eh?
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"i was saying gnu-rd"