Usage based billing. It is a term that most Canadians had probably never even heard of until quite recently. I had, but that is because I handle most of the technological aspects of my family, and my family is a Rogers customer.
We switched to Rogers almost 5 years ago, and even then a bandwidth cap was imposed on us. We subscribe to highspeed lite, which at the time of purchase carried a 25GB cap. If my mom and dad were living by themselves this cap would be no problem. 25GB per month would certainly be enough for them. But they dont live by themselves. I have an older sister (now married), an older brother (now married), and two younger sisters. While it is true that my older brother and sister dont live at home anymore, and I am only at home for 5 months of the year, 25GB for 4-7 people just doesn’t cut it. On a good day, when I am not home, there are four people in my house. 3 laptops and a wifi enabled Wii. 25GB. The CRTC estimates that a normal user will use at least 15GB per month. See the problem. And now Rogers has lowered the cap on this package to only 15GB.
Most people reading this are probably thinking, well why dont you just get a better package, and the answer to this comes down to price. This plan already costs $35.99 per month. Combine that with TV, home phone, long distance, and cell phones. My family simply cannot afford a more expensive plan.
I have taken the liberty of comparing the pricing between some of Canada’s largest ISPs:
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Rogers
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Bell
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Cogeco
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Shaw
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Less than 10GB
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2GB – $27.99
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2GB – $31.95
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|
|
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10GB-25GB
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15GB – $35.99
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25GB – $41.95
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10GB – $36.95
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15GB – $35.00
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25GB-40GB
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n/a
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n/a
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30GB – $42.95
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n/a
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40GB-60GB
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60GB – $46.99
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50GB – $51.95
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60GB – $56.95
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60GB – $47.00
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60GB-80GB
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80GB – $59-99
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75GB – $61.95
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n/a
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n/a
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80GB+
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125GB – $69.99
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n/a
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125GB – $81.95
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175GB – $107.00
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|
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175GB – $99.99
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n/a
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n/a
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350GB – $150.00
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The prices for these caps are completely outrageous. Small ISPs currently offer unlimited bandwidth for $30-$50. Their speeds are often slower, they are only available in certain areas, service time lags, and customer service isn’t always the best. But that is the trade off for reasonably priced internet.
The CRTC recently made a decision that would force the small ISPs to limit their bandwidth, and worse, practically gave the big ISPs the authority to choose the limits! This would destroy the competition, stifle innovation, and cut off access to the internet for thousands, if not millions, of Canadians. Luckily, the government and all opposition parties agree with the small ISPs and the vast majority of consumers when they say that this CRTC decision just makes no sense.
I do understand the need for limits in some cases, however, the caps currently in place are completely ridiculous. They do not fair nicely with their global competitors, but they dont have to because together they have a near monopoly. This isn’t fair to the small ISPs, but mostly it isn’t fair to the consumer.
The fact of the matter is this: reasonable caps for reasonable prices. Give me 200GB for $50. Will I use 200GB? Probably not, but I certainly wouldn’t be complaining.
