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Canadian Regulator CRTC Saves Independent ISPs
fmenard123 writes "The Canadian telecommunications regulator, the CRTC, has affirmed in a decision released on March 3rd 2008 that DSL wholesale and Cable Modem wholesale will continue (PDF) until such time as a meaningful competitive source of supply of wholesale facilities develops. Aside from preserving the status-quo, the CRTC has also determined that unaggregated ADSL access (DSL wholesale for competitors who self-supply their facilities into telephone company central offices) is an essential service given the lack of unbundling for sub-loops. The CRTC ordered phone companies to re-price unaggregated DSL wholesale at forward-looking costs plus a mark-up of no more than 15%, opening the door for a significant reduction in the rates ISPs pay to the telephone companies for access to DSL wholesale. This decision has interesting implications for the US, in which the FCC was not able to overcome the legal attacks against its Computer II regulatory framework. Perhaps ISPs in the US need to look north to try to make their case again."
Although they have to provide access to their infrastructure, Sympatico, Telus etc. are still the reseller of bandwidth to the small ISP. In my view, this is still anti-competitive in that the independent ISP continues to get raped by being forced to pay for bandwidth to the upstream big telco. The telco is essentially getting the bandwidth for free, while collecting revenue from the small ISP for the same commodity. It doesn't seem fair that the telco can be a wholesale bandwidth seller and at the same time compete directly with its wholesale customers by targeting last mile consumers.
If the CRTC really wanted to level the playing field, they would prevent the wholesalers like Bell Sympatico from selling directly to the consumer market. Then we'd see real competition and growth in the ISP industry.
As much as I would have liked to see the Superbowl ads, having a regular feed during the rest of the year would confuse the targetted viewers of those ads.
Seeing ads of products I can't buy, or services for local areas would be pretty useless for both advertisers and viewers.
Live forever, or die trying.
Bell might have told you to like your 302, but by damn, some of those things are still around and working 40 years later. The "fully electronic phone you own" was probably made in China by sweatshop workers and will last approximately 40 weeks before either the cheap plastic breaks or discolors, or the "no-Chinese-word-for-quality" electronic components inside go on the fritz.
Those of us old enough to actually remember the Bell monopoly aren't as gung-ho about deregulation as you youngsters.
Now get off my lawn!
Regardless, as far as I can tell the telecommunications infrastructure in each region is owned by a regional monopoly. It might not all be Bell, but the effect is nearly the same.
Not quite, as I understand it the CRTC mandated that Bell and Rogers have to offer their lines to resellers.
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If you start a company that wants to resell the Interweb you call up Bell and they'll sell you X number of DSL lines. I believe last time I checked they sold a DSL line for 24$ (according to the ISP I worked for) so the profit for the 3rd party is next to nothing usually.
I'm sure there is a minimum amount you need to buy, I have no idea what that is.
This is incredibly simplistic but hopefully it gives you an idea as to what's going on, or maybe I made it worse
I Like Pie...