An Open Letter Concerning a Not-So-Open Internet

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dscott23 join:2008-05-03 Vancouver, BC 2 edits	An Open Letter Concerning a Not-So-Open Internet I wrote this letter in order to inform people a bit better about the realities of Usage Based Billing. Most don't think that it will really affect them in any way, if they know about it at all. This letter has also been sent to various news outlets and government officials, and there are contact links at the bottom in case anyone wants to either forward this again to them themselves, or write their own. Most of the newspapers are local to Vancouver, where I am, so find the ones in your area. An Open letter Concerning a Not-So-Open Internet As I turn on my computer to begin this letter, I log into Windows and receive a notification that an update is available for Java. Something I’ve seen a hundred times before and never really given much thought to. But this time something else crosses my mind; how big is the update? How much data will be downloaded to my computer? I read each of the prompts that come up on my screen, a little more closely than previously, looking for some indication of file size, but I see nothing. I go ahead with the update, but not without some concern. The issue? Something as simple as a software update on my computer may actually end up costing me money. The new Usage Based Billing systems (also referred to as UBB) coming into place with the big Internet Providers in Canada will mean a lot more restriction and monitoring of the things we do every day. Products we have already paid for, services we have already subscribed to (along with their monthly or annual bills) will now be subject to overage fees, adding more cost onto what we already pay. Where we could once pay a single monthly bill for our internet, we will now be paying not only the bill, but also the extra fees for having used more data than the Internet Service Providers think we should be using. I have a few internet connected devices in my home aside from just a computer. Most Canadians would agree that a household with a single computer used simply for checking email and doing online banking is no longer the norm in our society. When most people hear talk of “large downloads” and Internet Providers cracking down on “excessive users”, to most this brings up thoughts of people using file sharing, or peer-to-peer programs to share music and movies across the internet. But with the prevalence of so many internet connected devices found in almost every home, and with legitimate online video and music streaming services being introduced, “large downloads” is something that now applies to everyone, whether they fully realize it or not. I have an Xbox360. I use it to watch videos, play online multiplayer games with friends, download game demos, and to purchase and download full games through Microsoft’s Xbox Live service. As my monthly bandwidth allotment from my Internet Provider disappears, I will simply stop using it. I have already paid for my Xbox, the use of the online service through my Xbox Live Gold account, the games themselves, and for my internet access. With Usage Based Billing I will be expected to pay yet again if I don’t monitor my usage closely enough. I should not be paying more for services that I already pay for. This does not only apply to people with Xbox 360’s, but also to anyone with a Sony Playstation or a Nintendo Wii in their home. It would be safe to assume that the majority of people in this country that have an internet connection have at least one of these gaming devices in their home. Even if it’s in your son’s or daughter’s room and you never actually use it yourself, it’s the same as any other computer connected to your home network. We paid for them, in some cases we pay extra for the fuller online experience, and now we will be expected to pay yet again, each month, due to these new bandwidth restrictions. Higher monthly bills will result in people placing more restrictions on usage, watching their bandwidth meter, making sure they’ll be able to afford their internet bill for the month. I don’t use it myself, but I know there are a number of people that purchase music, movies and television shows through Apple’s iTunes. Having paid for your videos, perhaps in High Definition format, downloading them, and then being charged again at the end of the month due to the size of the videos themselves, is completely unfair. I subscribe to Netflix. I have been using it on both my home computers and my Xbox. Although now with the new changes coming into effect, when I find a movie on Netflix I want to watch, I’ll be checking to see how much more, on top of the fee I have already paid to Netflix, the movie might end up costing me. Again, paying more for services that I already pay for. I use an online backup service called Crashplan. All of my computer files are backed up daily to their secure servers, leaving me the peace of mind that if our home was broken into or anything was destroyed in a fire, all of my files and programs would be safe. Already paying an annual fee for the service, I may well have to give up this peace of mind in order to keep my internet bill at an affordable level. As an addition to this full online backup service, I also use a service called Dropbox. This enables me to keep certain files in sync across all of my computers, as well as my Smartphone. A very handy and reliable service, but also one that uses data over my home internet connection. Again, I pay an annual fee for this service, but may end up being charged even more on top of that as a result of the new Usage Based Billing. I use Last.fm. This is an online radio service that customizes radio stations for me based on my listening habits. I sometime have it playing for most of the day as I do things around the house, but this will have to stop, as I can’t risk the constant data stream pushing my internet bill up and up. I have friends that use VoIP services; Voice over IP (internet telephone, as opposed to the normal telephones most are familiar with). These services, such as Vonage and Skype, eliminate the need for an extra telephone bill in their homes, and provide long distance savings. But with the overage fees charged by the Internet Providers, they will no longer be the money saving services they were meant to be. In addition to the PC’s, laptops, and the Xbox I have in my house, I also have a Smartphone. I recently made the switch to an Android based phone, but this will also apply to anyone who has an iPhone, Blackberry, or any other internet enabled phone that can connect to a Wi-Fi network. When at home I keep my phone connected to my home Wi-Fi. Anyone who has a Smartphone knows that these devices transmit a fair amount of data; keeping email, calendar and contacts in sync, various Apps that update in the background at set intervals, downloading new Apps, and, as with most Smartphone’s today, the majority are more than capable of streaming video from YouTube and a number of other online services. With the new Usage Based Billing, my phone is one more device connected to my network when at home, using up the limited bandwidth, and eventually costing me even more by the end of the month. There are also certain things that are harder to control in our online world when it comes to data consumption; Windows Update is a perfect example. These are the fixes issued by Microsoft for their Windows Operating System that, in most people’s cases, download and install automatically in the background. The only User intervention required is after the updates are finished installing, you get that familiar prompt that your system needs to be restarted. And so the questions: how much data was downloaded during this process? If you were already very close to your monthly bandwidth allowance, did this push you over? Did these updates actually end up costing you more money? The last time I installed my copy of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook), I remember a number of updates being required through Windows Update, and they were not small in size. Having already purchased the software, I don’t believe I should be charged again for installing the necessary upgrades. As careful as you might be in regards to the data being transferred in your household, making sure the next bill to come in is within the affordable range, things like background updates for your Operating System, as well as any Anti-Virus and Spyware programs you may be using (on each of the PC’s in your home, mind you), and other updates for any of the software installed on your computer, will also be added to your total data consumption. I’ll admit, these software updates, each on their own, are usually not very large, and so it would be easy to dismiss them. But when added together with the web surfing, online banking and shopping, emailing, Youtubing, Facebooking, video/audio streaming, online gaming (on PC or console), and all the other random data transfer that we have never really had to think too much about in the past, this adds up. And the higher the data consumption climbs, the higher the bill will be at the end of the month. I certainly don’t like the idea, nor do I think it’s fair, that at the end of any given month, I might find myself very close to the bandwidth allotment given to me, and having to decide if uploading that new video to Facebook is worth an extra dollar or two on my internet bill, or having to weigh the cost of emailing the photos I took at Christmas to my family. Why should my Internet Provider get to cash in on things that are supposed to be free? I already pay for my internet access, as I always have, but now that will not be enough. In order to keep my bill at a reasonable level I will be expected to monitor the usage of every internet connected device in my home (including friends that might stop by with their laptop, netbook or Smartphone), and in some cases will be forced to eliminate certain things and cancel certain services altogether. It is not too late to change this. As with this letter, there are ways of making sure people are informed about this issue and how, in the end, it will affect their daily lives. The companies and service providers, like the ones I mentioned above, should also be made aware, that if things continue down this road they will in fact be losing customers, as a lot of us will simply not be able to afford their services due to the extra fees being charged by our Internet Providers. Our society is evolving. Online services and connected devices have become an integral part of our daily lives, for both work and pleasure. The cost of these devices and services is something we weigh at the time of purchase, but now there will be an additional factor to consider; how much more will I have to pay each month to my Internet Provider in order to use them? D. Scott This letter composed with Google Documents. Online. Using bandwidth. If you're looking for a way to make this issue known, and to show your support, go here and sign the petition. Stop The Meter Campaign to end UBB »openmedia.ca/meter Also, below are email addresses for various newspapers, news sites, and government officials. Either copy and send this letter, or write your own, but let them know that this is something that you're not happy about. Some of the newspapers are local to Vancouver, so find the ones in your area. Newspapers pgraham@vancouversun.com sunletters@vancouversun.com provletters@theprovince.com wmoriarty@theprovince.com letters@straight.com contact@straight.com blink@vancourier.com editor@westender.com rantrave@westender.com jstackhouse@globeandmail.com Letters@globeandmail.com News Stations bcassign@ctv.ca olsen@ctv.ca tips@GlobalTVBC.com cbcnewsvancouver@cbc.ca Government Davies.L@parl.gc.ca minister.industry@ic.gc.ca pm@pm.gc.ca premier@gov.bc.ca
	to forum · permalink · 2011-01-09 22:56:22 ·
HiVolt Premium join:2000-12-28 Toronto, ON kudos:12	LOL & sending it to CTV & Global... Owned by Bell & Shaw respectively... straight to the trash/shredder/joke file. -- BUCK FELL ,,!,,('-'),,!,,
	to forum · permalink · 2011-01-09 23:33:55 ·
jackie999 join:2008-08-13 Aurora, ON	reply to dscott23 Nicely worded - thanks for this. I've forwarded to my local paper.
	to forum · permalink · 2011-01-10 01:25:28 ·
Last Parade join:2002-10-07 Port Colborne, ON	reply to dscott23 pretty boring letter, I zoned out in 5 seconds
	to forum · permalink · 2011-01-10 03:07:19 ·
jfmezei Premium join:2007-01-03 Pointe-Claire, QC kudos:22 Reviews: ·ELECTRONICBOX	said by Last Parade: pretty boring letter, I zoned out in 5 seconds It is hard to explain a complex situation without becoming long winded. Most of the time spent writing my CRTC submissions is actually spent rewriting and removing parts to make it shorter. Despite this, they are still long winded.
	to forum · permalink · 2011-01-10 03:39:07 ·
Velix join:2007-06-08 La Prairie, QC Reviews: ·ELECTRONICBOX	reply to dscott23 I've just written a draft I wish to send. Can anyone suggest improvements. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Another billing meter has just been installed into Canadian homes without people being adequately informed. This can’t be you say, nobody came to my house. Think again, with the Canadian government approval via the CRTC and at Bell’s request an Internet meter has just been installed into your home. Just like an electric and water meter it will measure your Internet usage. The meters are invisible, but make no mistake, they are there. Their main function is to reduce your Internet usage by increasing your monthly bill. Use more than you’re allowed monthly and be prepared to face additional costs as high as $60 per month and more. This can easily bring your Internet bill above $100 per month. Things like online gaming, regular software updates, listening to online music, viewing Youtube clips and watching movies with services like Netflix can increase your usage considerably. Even small ISPs which offered large bandwidth allowances are affected. Their bandwidth allowances will be forcibly reduced by Bell’s request to the CRTC and is approved by your elected Canadian government. These invisible meters are to begin metering your Internet usage this spring. Problem is, your Internet bill with be very visible in your mailbox the following month.
	to forum · permalink · 2011-01-10 10:21:47 ·
dscott23 join:2008-05-03 Vancouver, BC	said by Velix: I've just written a draft I wish to send. Can anyone suggest improvements. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Another billing meter has just been installed into Canadian homes without people being adequately informed. This can’t be you say, nobody came to my house. Think again, with the Canadian government approval via the CRTC and at Bell’s request an Internet meter has just been installed into your home. Just like an electric and water meter it will measure your Internet usage. The meters are invisible, but make no mistake, they are there. Their main function is to reduce your Internet usage by increasing your monthly bill. Use more than you’re allowed monthly and be prepared to face additional costs as high as $60 per month and more. This can easily bring your Internet bill above $100 per month. Things like online gaming, regular software updates, listening to online music, viewing Youtube clips and watching movies with services like Netflix can increase your usage considerably. Even small ISPs which offered large bandwidth allowances are affected. Their bandwidth allowances will be forcibly reduced by Bell’s request to the CRTC and is approved by your elected Canadian government. These invisible meters are to begin metering your Internet usage this spring. Problem is, your Internet bill with be very visible in your mailbox the following month. And this is just as effective, as you got right to the point. The main purpose of my letter above is not so much to inform people in this forum; we already know what's going on. I posted it here for people to use to inform those that have no idea what UBB is. You can forward this to any newspaper or news station that you want, email it to people, whatever. The point is that more people need to be aware of just how it affects them. So yes, it might be a bit boring to someone who already knows about it, but I tried to simplify the issue in to real-world terms for the average home user.
	to forum · permalink · 2011-01-10 14:25:45 ·
RobbieS @shawcable.net	reply to Last Parade I disagree with Lastparade. I think the article was EXCELLENT, and written from the perspective of what will be important to the average internet user. It will appeal to folks who are not techies - average people who need to understand "why does this affect me?". Very well done, kudos!!
	to forum · permalink · 2011-01-10 17:03:21 ·
Davesnothere No-BHELL-ity DOES have its Advantages join:2009-06-15 START&Cogeco kudos:6 4 edits	reply to dscott23 said by dscott23: I wrote this letter in order to inform people a bit better about the realities of Usage Based Billing.... - Verbose, yes, but covered much ground, and was targeted at the non-geek, which is good in this case, as they are the vast majority of users. And in keeping with that theme, as detailed and comprehensive as it was, let me suggest that you add just a wee but more. 1) Mention the acronym 'UBB' either in the title, or immediately after the 1st mention of the long form of the name, where I cut my quote of your letter, and a couple more times as you go along, as it is easier to remember 'UBB' than the long name. 2) Mention something about the dollar value of the increase, also pretty early in the piece, to hook the reader into reading the rest, to find out the 'whys' and 'wherefores'. 3) Mention early on that UBB began as a proposal from Bell Canada to the CRTC, that the CRTC COULD have flatly said NO, and that one way or another, UBB will increase ALL Internet users' rates, no matter what ISP's name is at the top of their bill. Other than that, pretty complete. I like.
	to forum · permalink · 2011-01-10 17:20:51 ·
grunze510 join:2009-02-14 Cote Saint-Luc, QC kudos:1	said by Davesnothere: 1) Mention the acronym 'UBB' either in the title, or immediately after the 1st mention of the long form of the name, where I cut my quote of your letter. 2) Mention something about the dollar value of the increase, also pretty early, in the piece, to hook the reader into reading the rest of the whys and wherefores. 3) Mention early on that UBB began as a proposal from Bell Canada to the CRTC, that the CRTC COULD have flatly said NO, and that one way or another, will increase the users' rates, no matter what ISP's name is at the top of their bill. 1) That sounds like a good idea. It gives them a short name to give the situation. It's either "The internet is getting more expensive if you use modern technologies", or "UBB". This way, if the people they're talking to know what UBB is, they'll get to the point that much faster. 2) As much as I'd want to say "They're charging at least 40x their actual cost", the average people still wouldn't really get it. I think "well above cost" is enough. 3) IMO, don't mention any of the companies. Just say local phone and cable companies, because they all want UBB. Sure, Bhell was the one that started it, but that was then, and this is now. It's much shorter to say "telephone and cable companies" than it is to say Shaw, (maybe Telus), Rogers, Bhell, Cogeco, and Videotron. Or as I call them, Shrobellustronco.
	to forum · permalink · 2011-01-10 17:31:58 ·

Davesnothere No-BHELL-ity DOES have its Advantages join:2009-06-15 START&Cogeco kudos:6 4 edits	said by grunze510: 1) That sounds like a good idea. It gives them a short name to give the situation. It's either "The internet is getting more expensive if you use modern technologies", or "UBB". This way, if the people they're talking to know what UBB is, they'll get to the point that much faster. 2) As much as I'd want to say "They're charging at least 40x their actual cost", the average people still wouldn't really get it. I think "well above cost" is enough. 3) IMO, don't mention any of the companies. Just say local phone and cable companies, because they all want UBB. Sure, Bhell was the one that started it, but that was then, and this is now. It's much shorter to say "telephone and cable companies" than it is to say Shaw, (maybe Telus), Rogers, Bhell, Cogeco, and Videotron. Or as I call them, Shrobellustronco. - PLEASE RE-READ mine, as you type almost as fast as I edit. 1) Yes, the Monster must have a Name, must be Christened.... 2) I just wished for the dollar value of $60 to be mentioned (as did user Velix), as that alone would do the job - most non-geeks understand $$ - I was not trying to get into how Bell decided upon their level of greed, just that it's a pretty big hike - and actually is $67.80 including Ontario HST rate. 3) Yes, mention BHell, as they started it (Nyaaa, nya nya nyaaa, nyaaa !), and if Primus can publicly lay blame on Bell as they have, then so should anyone else. All I was after was adding just the words I had originally bolded, and the rest of my commentary was just supporting rhetoric, since we WERE being verbose anyway in this thread.
	to forum · permalink · 2011-01-10 17:46:16 ·
Davesnothere No-BHELL-ity DOES have its Advantages join:2009-06-15 START&Cogeco kudos:6	reply to grunze510 said by grunze510: ....It's much shorter to say "telephone and cable companies" than it is to say Shaw, (maybe Telus), Rogers, Bhell, Cogeco, and Videotron. Or as I call them, Shrobellustronco. - Which brings to mind another thought. I Rogers bought Cogeco (and you know they waaaaannaaa), would the new conglomerate be called 'Rogeco', or would it be 'Codgers' ? (Hey, where'd that silent extra 'D' come from ?!)
	to forum · permalink · 2011-01-10 18:01:39 ·
grunze510 join:2009-02-14 Cote Saint-Luc, QC kudos:1	reply to Davesnothere said by Davesnothere: 2) I just wished for the dollar value of $60 to be mentioned (as did user Velix), as that alone would do the job - most non-geeks understand $$ - I was not trying to get into how Bell decided upon their level of greed, just that it's a pretty big hike - and actually is $67.80 including Ontario HST rate. Lots of people are gullible to what the incumbents tell them, as made obvious by people who insist on staying will Bhell as an ISP instead of switching to a more honest ISP like TekSavvy, Ebox, Caneris or Acanac, etc. If you only mention $60, they ~~might~~ most probably will think that's close to what the incumbents pay for bandwidth. That's why I think we should mention that anything above $0.50 is well above cost.
	to forum · permalink · 2011-01-10 18:11:45 ·
Davesnothere No-BHELL-ity DOES have its Advantages join:2009-06-15 START&Cogeco kudos:6	said by grunze510: ....If you only mention $60, they ~~might~~ most probably will think that's close to what the incumbents pay for bandwidth. That's why I think we should mention that anything above $0.50 is well above cost. - I'm thinking of the overall MWR (Monthly Wallet Rape) itself, rather than the individual strokes involved. Non-geeks will not quickly enough understand the dynamics of proper costing at BHell's end, so I just would want them to know their own bottom line cost at first.
	to forum · permalink · 2011-01-10 18:26:27 ·
dscott23 join:2008-05-03 Vancouver, BC	reply to dscott23 @ jackie999 and RobbieS, thank you for the comments. All of the additions mentioned are good ideas, and I especially agree that the term UBB should be added (which I will do), if for no other reason than that is the term they'll be hearing in the news and seeing posted throughout the internet. As for bringing specific costs into it, I'll try to find a way to add something that doesn't make it sound overly complicated. Keep in mind, WE all understand it, but the average consumer is much less technically inclined. But everyone here, please feel free to copy, make your own additions/alterations, and send it off wherever you like. The only thing I would ask you to keep is the little blurb directing people to the StopTheMeter petition, as it gives them something to actually DO once they've read the letter. Informing people is one thing, but then they're left standing, asking "now what?"
	to forum · permalink · 2011-01-10 18:26:29 ·
grunze510 join:2009-02-14 Cote Saint-Luc, QC kudos:1	reply to Davesnothere said by Davesnothere: said by grunze510: ....If you only mention $60, they ~~might~~ most probably will think that's close to what the incumbents pay for bandwidth. That's why I think we should mention that anything above $0.50 is well above cost. I'm thinking of the overall MWR (Monthly Wallet Rape) itself, rather than the individual strokes involved. Fair enough. I just want the average people who read the letter to know that the MWR is just that. That the MWR isn't to recover costs (other than their loss in TV subscribers).
	to forum · permalink · 2011-01-10 18:32:53 ·
Davesnothere No-BHELL-ity DOES have its Advantages join:2009-06-15 START&Cogeco kudos:6	reply to dscott23 said by dscott23: ....The only thing I would ask you to keep is the little blurb directing people to the StopTheMeter petition, as it gives them something to actually DO once they've read the letter. Informing people is one thing, but then they're left standing, asking "now what ?" Agreed. Mayhaps we could get petitions happening at Timmies outlets - lots of traffic there. Timmies were quick to promote the petition against McGuilty trying to cancel the PST exemption on small restaurant purchases of $4 or less (back in the good ol' days of his first term, when he publicly lied to us, saying that he was against a general HST).
	to forum · permalink · 2011-01-10 18:34:46 ·
Davesnothere No-BHELL-ity DOES have its Advantages join:2009-06-15 START&Cogeco kudos:6	reply to grunze510 said by grunze510: said by Davesnothere: I'm thinking of the overall MWR (Monthly Wallet Rape) itself, rather than the individual strokes involved. Fair enough. I just want the average people who read the letter to know that the MWR is just that. That the MWR isn't to recover costs (other than their loss in TV subscribers). - Understood. Though that is hard to quantify, when BHell keeps that info such a good secret that a gaggle of papparazzi prob'ly couldn't get it out of them. It's like the old Caramilk Sercret TV ad.... Bidder : "I'm willing to give Anything, for the secret !" Satan : "ANYTHINGGGGGGG ?"
	to forum · permalink · 2011-01-10 18:42:27 ·
AkFubar Nothing is more constant than change join:2005-02-28 Toronto CAN. Reviews: ·TekSavvy DSL	reply to Davesnothere said by Davesnothere: said by grunze510: ....It's much shorter to say "telephone and cable companies" than it is to say Shaw, (maybe Telus), Rogers, Bhell, Cogeco, and Videotron. Or as I call them, Shrobellustronco. - Which brings to mind another thought. I Rogers bought Cogeco (and you know they waaaaannaaa), would the new conglomerate be called 'Rogeco', or would it be 'Codgers' ? (Hey, where'd that silent extra 'D' come from ?!) Bell on knee pads @ the CRTC = Bellatio -- If my online experience is enhanced, why are my speeds throttled??
	to forum · permalink · 2011-01-10 18:42:52 ·
Davesnothere No-BHELL-ity DOES have its Advantages join:2009-06-15 START&Cogeco kudos:6	said by AkFubar: Bell on knee pads @ the CRTC = Bellatio - But could George COPE with that ?
	to forum · permalink · 2011-01-10 18:44:32 ·

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