Hey, Canada could sure use something like this: Article by Sarah N. Lynch for The Globe and Mail New York state’s attorney general is probing whether three major Internet providers could be shortchanging consumers by charging them for faster broadband speeds and failing to deliver the speeds being advertised, according
Continue readingTag: affordability
OpenMedia.ca: CBC: Why Canadians are spending more on wireless and internet services
Wireless prices increased at over three times the rate of inflation. Here’s why: Article by Aaron Saltzman for CBC News Consumers are spending more on communication services but they aren’t getting any more for their money, according to a prominent critic of the telecom industry, who says the spending increases
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: National Post: New CRTC report may show the landline and the traditional TV set are going the way of the Dodo
One thing we learned from the latest CRTC report is that Canadians are spending more on telecom services each year. Article by Monika Warzecha and Jonathon Rivait for the National Post read more
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: The Province: Canadians spend more on wireless, Internet services; prices up more than inflation
“OpenMedia.ca, a non-profit consumer advocacy group, said the report shows that Canada has a long way to go to create more affordable telecom options.” Speak out now for faster, cheaper Internet at UnblockCanada.ca Article by BRIAN MCKENNA, THE CANADIAN PRESS published by The Province OTTAWA – Canadians are paying more
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Canadians look to newly-elected government for action as CRTC report confirms huge year-on-year price increases for communications services
crtc-cmnsmonitoring.jpg As monthly household telecom spending breaches the $200 mark for the first time, Canadians will be looking to incoming Liberal government for reassurance and action October 22, 2015 – This morning the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) released the first part of their annual Communications Monitoring Report providing
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Globe and Mail: BCE launches appeal of CRTC fibre networks ruling
How the incoming government responds to this request will be an important litmus test for Canada’s digital future. Article by Christine Dobby for The Globe and Mail BCE Inc. is appealing a ruling from Canada’s telecom regulator to the federal cabinet, arguing the decision forcing it to give small Internet
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Litmus test for new government as Big Telecom threatens future of affordable Internet service in Canada
computer-crtc.jpg Bell Canada is calling on the new federal Cabinet to overturn pro-customer CRTC requirements to ensure Canadians can access high-speed independent providers October 21, 2015 – This morning it was reported that Bell Canada (BCE Inc.) is challenging a landmark CRTC decision that promised fair access to fibre Internet
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Globe: Rural communities get gigabit Internet: ‘We went from the dark ages to highest-speed Internet available’
Great to see when rural communities in Canada get the high-speed Internet they deserve! Check out our Report Card to see where the parties stand on tackling this problem: http://om4.me/ZZj Article by Tracy Hanes for The Globe and Mail For decades, Scugog Township, a rural community of 22,500 residents in
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Revealed: Which party gets the worst grade for digital policies on affordable access, online privacy, and free expression?
report_img2.png As digital rights issues including the TPP and Bill C-51 continue to play major election role, OpenMedia publishes crowdsourced report card assessing the leading parties on policy priorities shaped by over 250,000 Canadians October 8, 2015 – Days after the announcement of a major Trans-Pacific Partnership deal, and with
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Rogers, Bell and Telus hike Internet speeds, prices with ‘gigabit’ service
Unbelievable. Big Telecom is charging $150 a month for ultra high speed fibre Internet. Now wonder less than 5% of Canadian households have fibre connections, compared to nearly 70% in Japan. When fibre is affordable there’s no doubt that we’ll leap to the new technology the same way they did
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: How big is Big Telecom? Just how concentrated is the Canadian media landscape?
So, just how big is Big Telecom? Our friends at the Canadian Media Concentration Research Project, led by Carleton University Professor (and OpenMedia friend) Dwayne Winseck, have sought to answer exactly that question. In a new blog post they ask: Ever wonder who the main companies are that make up and shape the
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Your feedback made this possible: stay tuned for our Election Report Cards next week!
Well, the calendar has just flipped over to October, which can only mean one thing: we’re just under three weeks from an election that’s going to be absolutely crucial for our digital future. There’s no doubt this election represents a crossroads for Canada’s Internet. There’s so much on the line:
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Geist: Make universal, affordable broadband an election issue.
Less than 3 weeks away from the election, and still no mention of universal, affordable broadband Internet access…Why are political parties silent on this issue? Article by Michael Geist for the Toronto Star The long election campaign of 2015 has featured a myriad of daily policy announcements as the three
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Toronto Star: Bridging Toronto’s real digital divide
It turns out more choice = more savings in Canada’s broadband Internet market. But there’s a catch – the digital divide isn’t just rural/remote vs. urban anymore. Check out how over 70% of people in Canada’s largest city are being left behind when it comes to super-fast fibre Internet. And
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Big Telecom could slip new slow lane powers into a U.S. bill that has nothing to do with the Internet
A few days ago, OpenMedia helped our campaign partners at Demand Progress add the names of thousands of Internet users to a historic legal defense of the Net Neutrality rules that are currently being challenged in court by Big Telecom in the U.S. As you may recall, the rules being
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Oxfam points out that without a major redistributive effort, hundreds of millions of people will be trapped in extreme poverty around the globe no matter how much top-end growth is generated.And Michael Valpy writes that the Cons have gone out of their
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Candidates are being flooded with our emails, and it’s working!
It’s election time! And your OpenMedia team has been working very hard to make sure Canadians have a direct and easy way to demand candidates from all parties speak up for the Internet we love and deserve. That’s why we’ve launched a handy tool for you to tell your candidates to
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Elizabeth May becomes first party leader to endorse OpenMedia’s pro-Internet Action Plan
All The Reports_OG.png Digital rights group is calling on all political parties and candidates to endorse pro-Internet plan crowdsourced from over 250,000 Canadians September 15, 2015 – Green Party leader Elizabeth May has become the first party leader to endorse OpenMedia’s crowdsourced pro-Internet action plan. In an open letter to
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Globe and Mail: Apple’s monthly instalment price plan for unlocked iPhones eludes Canada
Why can’t we have nice things like U.S.’s monthly instalment price plan for iPhones here in Canada? Article by Christine Dobby for The Globe and Mail Apple Inc. revealed a new way to buy its flagship device last week – the option to pay for unlocked models of its newest
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: A day in the life of dial-up or: Why we need affordable, world-class service for 100% of Canadians
Below is a guest blog from Carol Vlassoff, an OpenMedia community member and resident of Hawk Lake Quebec who faces barriers to affordable, high-speed Internet access in her community. It is widely believed that all people in today’s world must be able to access the Internet in order to exercise and enjoy their basic human rights.
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