(NOTE: i am canadian. i live with it. come to think of it, i even like it)
Canada has a duopoly (on a national scale) as far as cable television is concerned; Videotron and Rogers Cable (sure, you've got your local distributors for remote areas, but they all take their feed from one of the two monsters or are affiliates of them). And as far as phone is concerned, there's only one local service company, and that's Bell Canada. Furthermore, Videotron is currently a monopoly in Quebec (and absent from the rest of Canada) while Rogers is a monopoly in the rest of Canada (and absent in Quebec).
So, if you want residential cable modem service in Canada, you've got one option: Rogers or Videotron, depending on where you live. And ADSL? One option, nationwide: Bell Canada.
That's why the CRTC's potential definition of high-speed access as an essential service is good. It means prices won't flare up all of a sudden just because they can. (Mind you, such a situation already exists; Bell can't increase rates without CRTC approval, and same goes for Cable companies)
But on top of that, if they define a set of minimum standards for that essential service, it will make quality of service uniform across the nation, at least at the minimal level. (for yes, even though they are monopolies, their service quality really differs from region to region)
It will be a great push to broadband.com companies in Canada and maybe even anywhere else, since broadband access could become a basic commodity, like the phone.
All in all, at the simplest level, it will benefit the canadian customer.
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(NOTE: i am canadian. i live with it. come to think of it, i even like it)
.com companies in Canada and maybe even anywhere else, since broadband access could become a basic commodity, like the phone.
Canada has a duopoly (on a national scale) as far as cable television is concerned; Videotron and Rogers Cable (sure, you've got your local distributors for remote areas, but they all take their feed from one of the two monsters or are affiliates of them). And as far as phone is concerned, there's only one local service company, and that's Bell Canada. Furthermore, Videotron is currently a monopoly in Quebec (and absent from the rest of Canada) while Rogers is a monopoly in the rest of Canada (and absent in Quebec).
So, if you want residential cable modem service in Canada, you've got one option: Rogers or Videotron, depending on where you live. And ADSL? One option, nationwide: Bell Canada.
That's why the CRTC's potential definition of high-speed access as an essential service is good. It means prices won't flare up all of a sudden just because they can. (Mind you, such a situation already exists; Bell can't increase rates without CRTC approval, and same goes for Cable companies)
But on top of that, if they define a set of minimum standards for that essential service, it will make quality of service uniform across the nation, at least at the minimal level. (for yes, even though they are monopolies, their service quality really differs from region to region)
It will be a great push to broadband
All in all, at the simplest level, it will benefit the canadian customer.