How can we fight the bit cap?

[Anonymous]

:idea: In order to win the bit cap war, we have to show Rogers and Bell that it's in their best interests to remove it.

So how do we do this?

Both Rogers and Bell sell cell phone services. So tell them that they will loose both your internet AND your cell phone business over the cap. (If you can live without your TV, cancel that too, or move to another provider, or put up an antenna)

Both Rogers and Bell NEED television advertising revenues to survive (incase you didn't know it, Rogers re-sells the commercial time on US stations). Write the advertisers and tell them that you will not buy their products until they stop advertising with Bell and Rogers.

Write to the Federal and Provincial governments and point out to them how many third party jobs will be lost as web content providers go belly-up because no one can afford to go to their web sites anymore

Comdex is coming up, get a hundred people together and have a protest outside of the Metro Convention Centre

Do the same for all Home Shows, and any malls where Rogers or Bell set up their "try before you buy" demo booths, and of course, don't forget Radio Shack, FutureShop, Bell Stores, etc. where they sell the kits.

Get a utility that measures your upload/download usage (the only one I have found so far is DUMeter ($28USD www.dumeter.com). If you know of a free one, please let me know ) and dispute every bill every month, and insist that your numbers are correct and theirs are bogus. (hopefully yours will be smaller )


Well, that's my 2 cents worth, What do you think?

Take care,

Sting :wink:

 

[Mikayla]

I totally agree with you. All us users were lured under the premise of "no limits", and then they go and put on limits. Anyone who visits almost any website will see any amount of flash pages, and streaming audio/video. Especially on the bigger sites like CBC, etc.

If they go thru with this I will be changing my DSL provider and my Cellular service to another company that will truely offer me the "no limits" that is advertised. If enough people come together and protest this and threaten to switch providers, it may not make that big of an impact, but if we all DO switch providers for our Cable/DSL and Cellular services, Im sure we would have them thinking twice before putting these insane caps on our accounts.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Imran]

I think the best action here would be NOT to just limit those who can sign the petition (which I saw going around) to people who use Rogers and Bell services. All the other providers are watching and seeing how this will turn out, and if it turns out well they will most likely introduce it as well. This is a matter that concerns all you canadians, so it should be a national petition, and it should be known to EVERY provider the petitions website so they can go and see how big of a mistake they would be making if they too followed suit with Rogers and Bell.

And although its not a realistic option, there are always "no limits" sattelite uplinks that are available through various companies. If anyone has any information about them, post the companies here that offer them.

 

[Shmad]

I agree with Imran on this. A lot of other providers will sit back and see how these changes Rogers and others are doing will go over with the consumers. If it turns out to be a horrible mistake or every provider has a list of their consumers that DONT want bitcapping and people who would switch to another "free" provider if they implemented it, it might make them think twice. If each provider loses 200 users at roughly $45/mo, that amounts to quite a bit of yearly revenue losses for each provider that wants to introduce bitcapping. The 200 # is just an example, I am sure if providers mass introduced bitcapping, there would be a lot MORE people switching to other "no limits" providers or going with a bi-directional satellite uplink for their internet feed. Its a booming industry and Rogers is starting to step on consumers feet.

 

[Andem]

Stingray, I really like your thinking... I'm going to be part of that mass switch, as I live in the Toronto area and we DO have alternatives. Thank god.

I'm going to swap over to a DSL service from Rogers cable and my cable tv will be shut off in favour of directv satellite.

Does everyone remember a few years back, the attack on Rogers from the general public? They we're charging for channels you didnt order and you had no choice but to keep the channels... I personally wasnt with Rogers at that time, I was with Shaw, but I can just picture this happening again!

Cable internet will soon be a thing of the past!

 

[JSz]

Everyone... Please do what Stingray listed once Rogers puts on this cap. Same goes for you sympatico users, get out while you still can and save yourself a few hundred dollars.

 

[Bob Carrick]

You can sign the petition also. http://www.petitiononline.com/carrick/petition.html I've been fighting these caps for a while now, I've done TV interviews half a dozen press interviews, with a Globe and Mail Business section interview done today, I'm waiting for the publish date. Cover of the Tech Weekly section of the Ottawa Citizen is June 20th. So We've got big press attention against these caps, and more coming.

 

[Anonymous]

hey andem?

Does everyone remember a few years back, the attack on Rogers from the general public? They we're charging for channels you didnt order and you had no choice but to keep the channels... I personally wasnt with Rogers at that time, I was with Shaw, but I can just picture this happening
again!
-------------------
I don't remember this. I was never charged for channels I didn't order and forced to keep them.
I think this is just hear-say as you admit you were not a customer at that time.
Information is always best from the source.

 

[Andem]

I believe it was in the Rogers area in Toronto. Ofcourse this was many years ago, and there was a giant public attack on rogers from the media, protests etc. (Rogers was just cable back then)....

Ofcourse, I don't know if this was when I was a classicom customer (which Shaw bought out).

 

[Cyberm4n]

You can start fighting this cap by moving your business elsewhere... If you are a bell Sympatico+long distance customer, goto Primus (for example).

If you are a Rogers+Rogers Hi-Speed customer, move over to IGS & Telus (you'll not only save money with telus with a promotion, but get better reception!)

*****All are just examples, I cannot verify the integrity of any of the companies listed above*****

 

[bogie]

I agree that all these changes are frustrating, but as with all technology shifts these days, it was inevitable. No one could really forecast what was going to happen with so many people going over to broadband so quickly. Rogers, Bell, etc., are all in business to make money for their shareholders. All this expansion costs big $$$. The alternative broadband vendors are smaller and can move quicker than Bell or Rogers, so in the short term they look like a better deal. That will change. Bell and Rogers, when they have put in place their new technologies at the higher usage rates, will set the market again with most likely killer low prices. Bell's phone plans and long distance rates are examples of what they can do when they set their mind to it following their business plans. I use Bell for all my phone related business and no one can touch the rates I get - and services. Took them a long time to get to this, but when they move, watch out competition.

I just switched to Bell HSE from Rogers Cable Internet and don't regret it one bit. When I cancelled our cable TV a week ago, because we rarely watch anything (and I had the whole kit and kaboodle including digital), my Internet shot up to $64.95 per month. Bell's intro package will save me $190 over the next 4 months and $20 per month after that. I will also seriously consider their new ULTRA package for a 3mbit connection. I don't use my ISP email system, so switching doesn't hurt.

This fall, when we might start watching a bit of TV again, we will install the Bell Expressvue dish and leave behind the cable hassles.

There are always alternatives - just investigate before jumping.

BTW - I doubt very much that boycotting or protesting will accomplish much. We live in an apathetic society where people rarely speak up - eh, we are Canadians and most don't make waves. I've been involved in a few local issues, and won, but damn it's a lot of work with no thank you's. If any of you can create a movement that will sway the policies of such a large corporate entity - good luck and may the force be with you.

 

[Cyberm4n]

Hey bogie, you might want to forget the idea of Bell's "Ultra" package... You can have the fastest speed in the world, but how can it be useful with a 10gb download limit per month?

Also, I don't blame you for moving from Rogers to Bell HSE. I don't like Rogers` ethics as a company and I really can't stand the service and customer service they provide.

Good luck with your new dsl connection, but dont forget to look around for a provider which does NOT have bitcaps

 

[Andem]

If people are going over the cap (well, duh) maybe more people should just go over to the 'independents". They seem much more viable.

 

[Andem]

Also... Even if one of the alternative providers have caps, they are usually _ATLEAST_ double Sympatico's cap of 5gb. Even 20gb would be nice for me, because i dont download large files constantly. But atleast 20gb per month.

 

[Bob Carrick]

And you can find all sorts of providers with many different caps listed here: http://www.canadianisp.com

 

[Anonymous]

The way to win this war is to get the average user to switch. You know, the guy who uses the internet to check mail, chat and maybe read a few jokes, if this users start moving enmasse we will definetely have Rogers and sympatico getting weak knees, but what do they care about the heavy internet user? You guys will just move to another DSL company bog it down while freeing up their bandwidth. That is my two cents.

 

[Anonymous]

I agree... Get everyone to move from the big guys, and open up the market to the small guys.

 

[Andem]

Don't worry, Sympatico will learn. Once Rogers puts these pathetic caps on it's users, they will learn too! Customer signup will fall, the small guys will grow and Sympatico's adverts will have to NOT say the word "unlimited" mwhahahaha.

 

[Anonymous]

As a builder of websites this bitcap can spell the end for many web businesses. People will not use the net to search out the best alternative for their buck, because it will cost them too many $$'s. These companies have no excuse for this, it is just another way to screw the consumer. they hope it will go over and people will accept it. As a web designer, if everybody is bitcapped I will have to go back to designing boring plain text based sites to keep file sizes as small as possible.
If that is the route every designer must take then every home consumer should switch back to 56k because there will be no need for broadband!
What about the consumers in small cities and towns? They have limited choices for who they want to supply their internet connection. Just glad I live in a big city with many internet choices. This is the perfect opportunity for the consumer to boycott all things Rogers and Bell. Show them your money speaks volumes, go elsewhere for your needs. They wont listen to your voice.

 

[bogie]

As a builder of websites this bitcap can spell the end for many web businesses.

I think a slight over-reaction. Despite the fact that I don't agree with these increase tactics, I cannot see a web design business going under because of it ... and, yes, I do design websites. This will just be typical of increased costs in any business - unwelcome but there just the same. If you are doing that much business so that it drastically affects your bitcap, then you can surely afford the difference Reminds me a businessman I met many years ago when he said "Hope I have to pay a lot of taxes this year on my business volume" - when I asked why he said "because it means I've got lots of business!".