TV-like subscriptions for the Internet?

[bcholmes]

I saw a passing reference to this concept in another journal, and this is the only article about it I can find in Google News. I have no idea how seriously I should take it.

A net-neutrality activist group has uncovered plans for the demise of the free Internet by 2010 in Canada. By 2012, the group says, the trend will be global. Bell Canada and TELUS, Canada's two largest Internet service providers (ISPs), will begin charging per-site fees on most Internet sites, reports reliable sources within TELUS [2012 also coincides with the planned full launching of the so-called "North American Union"].

[...]

I Power was the first group to report on the possible changes. Bell Canada has not returned calls or emails. The plans made by the large telecom businesses would change the Internet into a cable-like system, where customers sign up for specific web sites, and must pay to see each individual site beyond a certain point.

— North American Union watch: Fascist organizations in Canada and U.S. seek to stop free flow of information on the internet

Comments

[indefatigable42.livejournal.com]

From a business perspective it makes absolutely no sense. There are other high-speed providers in Canada. Unless they were all forced by law to do this, I can't imagine one or two companies choosing to do it, because they'd lose customers.

[bcholmes.livejournal.com]

If they control enough market share, then they wouldn't necessarily lose out a whole lot.

[hellsop.livejournal.com]

If it means they can cut the base (advertised) rate a little bit, and depend on the inertia of current customers...

[suitablyemoname.livejournal.com]

Those minor carriers tend to be very local. In huge parts of the country, Bell is the only available service. (Although these tend to be the "one person per twenty square kilometres" parts of the country.)

Either way, it's not like Mom & Pop ISP, inc. could suddenly take on a few million customers if they actually go through with this. (And they'd likely find it more profitable to go along with the scheme anyway. Bell wouldn't be doing this in the name of improving service, y'know.)

[indefatigable42.livejournal.com]

Someone should submit this to Snopes.com.

[suitablyemoname.livejournal.com]

Well (http://www.snopes.com/politics/immigration/nau.asp).

[the_axel]

Huge parts of the country with very little population.

According to the CRTC's report on the state of the world in 2006, 87% of Canadian households have a choice of high speed ISP and delivery method (DSL or cable).

Telus and Bell don't compete against each other but they do compete against Shaw, Rogers, Videotron, Cogeco &c.

If Bell & Telus were to restrict access like this they would haemmorrage customers like crazy. As it is, Big Telephone (which includes MTS, Sasktel and the other small telco's) have 43% market share, whereas Big Cable has 46.9% Big Cables market share has been rising while BigTel's has been largely static (the difference is the decline of the small ISP's as dial-up has been replaced by high speed).

The source article also claims "TELUS has already started blocking all websites that aren't in the subscription package for mobile Internet access". That isn't true - TELUS has a list of sites that have unlimited availability as part of the package and others cost 10 cents per page.

On top of that, the article also believes in the North American Union crazy conspiracy theory.

[avt-tor.livejournal.com]

Kind of a logical conundrum. How do you disprove an absurd conspiracy theory without facts? Of course being a net-neutrality "activist" really suggests an extreme lack of clue in the first place.

[expanding-x-man.livejournal.com]

Bad news.

And, there is no way I want a North American Union (no insult to Canada, but let's stay independent of each other and friendly) --

AGGH --