Compared to other industrialized nations, Canada’s Digital strategy lags far behind on increasing access, speed, and affordability. We can do better. Check out this Michael Geist piece comparing Canada’s recent Digital 150 document to the digital strategies of Australia and the U.K. Article by Michael Geist In my first post
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OpenMedia.ca: Words by Nowak: Canadians deserve independent, world-class service at affordable rates
Compared to other industrialized countries, Canadian telecom giants reap far higher rewards while offering slow and expensive service. Last Friday’s Digital Canada 150 announcement by Industry Minister James Moore contained next to nothing to address that gap. Think Canadians deserve better? Demand choice in our wireless market at http://DemandChoice.ca Article
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Province of Ontario: Ontario creates powerful protections for wireless consumers
It’s a win for Canadians and for our community! The Ontario government has enshrined consumer protections for wireless customers in law, introducing caps on contract cancellation fees and requiring Telecoms to advertise their prices more accurately. This significant decision was made possible by our monthly allies, who helped us work
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Yahoo Finance: Canadian online video consumption, premium pricing on a collision course
Canadians want lower prices and more data from their wireless providers, but price-gouging Big Telecom giants have other ideas. Something’s got to give – speak out: http://DemandChoice.ca Article by Carmi Levy for Yahoo Finance Canadian wireless consumers could be headed toward a digital collision. read more
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: ITbuisness.ca: James Moore’s Digital Strategy offers nothing new for Canadians
Despite high hopes, Industry Minister Moore’s Digital Strategy was a huge let-down. It looks like Canada will continue falling behind. Canadians deserve so much more – help us demand better at https://openmedia.ca/endowment Article by Brian Jackson for Itbusiness.ca It was a long time in the making, and it wasn’t worth
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Globe and Mail: Telus’s decision to shut Public Mobile angers consumers
280,000 customers are being forced to pay a hefty fee to upgrade their phones following the Telus takeover of former indie provider Public Mobile.. Help us demand choice in our wireless market by going to http://DemandChoice.ca Article by Rita Trichur and Steven Chase for The Globe and Mail Telus Corp.
Continue readingMelissa Fong: Housing in Vancouver #VancouverManifesto
I’m going to start a series called “Vancouver Manifesto”. They are going to be my general beliefs about Vancouver city-building. They might be in the form of starting a conversation, answering a question or just a quirky statement from an urbanist. The best housing in #YVR is in S. False
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Top 5 things you need to know about the government’s long-awaited digital economy strategy
We were starting to worry this day would never come. But, lo and behold, here it is: the government has finally announced its long-awaited digital economy strategy, Digital Canada 150. So, what’s the good news? While there are a few positive measures in the strategy, they amount to little more
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Government’s digital strategy leaves Canada stuck in the slow lane – fails to tackle stark digital divide and national digital deficit
OpenMedia_Sidebar_Image.png Canadians deserve so much more than just warmed-up leftovers from previous government announcements: new strategy means Canada will likely fall even further behind its global counterparts on Internet affordability, access, and speed April 4, 2014 – The government’s long-awaited new digital strategy announced this morning will disappoint Canadians who
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Android Headlines: three is NOT the magic number for wireless carriers
This piece on a high-profile U.S. website shows that word is spreading fast about Canada’s broken wireless market. Canadians are tired of the high prices and lack of choice that are holding back our digital economy. Tell Industry Minister Moore its time to rein in our telecom giants at https://openmedia.ca/gatekeepers.
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: With Canada plummeting in Internet world rankings, Canadians tell Minister Moore not to squander our $5.2bn Digital Endowment
DigitalEndowment_403x403_250314.png Government should invest digital windfall from sale of public spectrum assets into tackling Canada’s national digital deficit and growing digital divide March 26, 2014 – Canada has a unique opportunity to tackle its growing digital divide – but the government must take action to ensure this chance isn’t squandered.
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: CBC: Canadian upload speeds among worst in industrialized world
Canada is falling further and further behind our global counterparts when it comes to high-speed Internet. Tell decision-makers to drop the Big Telecom deadweight that’s holding our country back: https://openmedia.ca/deadweight Article by Peter Nowak for CBC News In a busy week, Jeremy Phan might do 10 photo shoots for various
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Our digital divide – only 62% of low-income households have Internet access
Our digital divide is as wide as ever. Only 62% of low-income households have Internet access. Article by Sunny Freeman for Huffington Post Canada. Canada is one of the most wired countries in the world, but a growing number of connected households is not helping to close a persistent digital
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Ben Klass on wireless carriers’ high prices
As cell phone customers reel from yet another Big Telecom price hike, it seems like our wireless market is moving backwards not forwards. Telecom expert and OpenMedia community member Ben Klass asks what will it take for Canadians to get the greater choice and lower prices we deserve. Article from
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: New report: Canada falling further behind global counterparts on Internet access
This week, experts at the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) – the body that oversees Canada’s .ca domain – released their 2014 Factbook, which chronicles Canada’s advancement on Internet issues over the past year. The Factbook investigates how well-positioned Canadians are in the areas of access, cost, and usage. read
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Rogers hits senior with an $800 bill for Internet she never used
Rogers hit this B.C. senior with a whopping $800 bill for Internet she never even used. It seems not a week goes by without another story of Big Telecom price-gouging. Tell us yours in the comments below. Article from CBC News A senior citizen in Chilliwack, B.C., is angry about
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Wireless price-hikes! OK who’s running the show here: Big Telecom or the government?
In February, Industry Minister James Moore announced that the government has heard our voices, and promised that everyday Canadians would soon experience lower costs and greater choice in our broken mobile phone and Internet market. In March, less than a month later, Canada’s Big Telecom cartel jacks up prices across
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Wireless price hike underlines government’s failure to deliver its promise to lower rates and rein in high-cost Big Telecom giants
BT-price-gouge_v2.png Urgent government action required to open networks to ensure Canadians have affordable alternatives to the Big Three providers MARCH 18, 2014 – Canadians will be paying even more for wireless service, following a hefty $5 price increase that was quietly announced by telecom giants Bell and Rogers over the
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: 24 hours left to let decision-makers know where you stand
Time and time again, we’ve seen Canada’s pro-Internet community band together to demand that decision-makers move us toward open and affordable Internet access in Canada – not toward more control for Big Telecom. And today we find ourselves at another crucial juncture in this ongoing fight. We cannot let the
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Geist on flawed CRTC consultation
Telecom expert Michael Geist is not impressed with the CRTC’s consultation on our digital future – and he has some advice for CRTC Chair Blais. The consultation may be biased toward Big Telecom interests – but we can fix this, by speaking out using our handy guide at https://openmedia.ca/choicebook –
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