If the Telcos move to raise rates, the internet will cease using the Telco system. And then some telephone interface company will create ...deleted text...
The Telcos have always lived in a monopolistic environment, they can't see the world in any other manner. One can say many bad things about these people. Fortunately, there may be reason for them to change their ways in regards to Internet access. Canada is not the most competitive place in the world and most Canadians just accept this and pay more money then they should for goods and services with no questions to the system which forces such things as `Canadian Content' down their throats. Bottom line is that business is not that competitive here. I have been in the data communications business for a long time and dealt with bad service and attitude from Canadian Telcos. Recently the local cable company (Rogers Cablesystems) started offering Internet access through a cable modem for CAN$55/month (US$39.95). This gives you the cable modem with some sort of asymmetrical data transfer rates. They don't tell you the actual up-stream and down-stream data transfer rates but apparently you can get 6 - 10 times the download rates as possible through a 33.6Kbps modem. This might at first glance appear a bit expensive but it is a permanent connection. They give you one IP address and up to five Email addresses under the standard monthly fee (there is a bit-count with charges if you go over the maximum but the limit is in GBs). The cable modem rental is included. They charge CAN$150 (US$109) for installation and setup. Included in this install fee is an Ethernet card. Compare this to ISDN or installing an additional telephone line PLUS paying for ISP access. If you are not careful everyone on your local cable segment can see your sytem but what the hell don't you want to get to know your neighbors better??? If you are technologically more than clue-less you would install a Linux box as a firewall and give it the assigned IP address. Behind your firewall you could install... whatever?! If you have a network, well that can be connected also!?? They will do the DNS work (probably at extra charge as this is the cable company) and set you up as a sub-domain on their domain and you could run a POP3 server to send/receive mail. This sounds pretty good, I could go for this, and they even offer it in my neighborhood. But, I must move soon so I will do it in the fall after the move. Now the local Telco (BC Tel, owned by GTE) gets a new chairman and the newspaper lets him blow his own horn and puts the article on the front page of the local section of one of the regional newspapers (Vancouver Sun). In this ego flexing article the CHAIRman states that their market and engineering trials are almost over and that they will be offering ADSL for Internet access in the fall and that they have a big surprise in store for the local cable company as they can beat their Internet access offering. Since that article the local Telco has filed an ADSL tariff offering with the federal regulatory body with a requested response date of August 27th as they want to begin offering this service in the market this fall. Are we about to see an elephant tapdance??? If this elephant is about to learn to tapdance maybe there is hope for the other Telcos of North America. If by chance I got into the wrong medication please advise. Virtually Raymond@wcs.net Raymond Mereniuk