Meteredinternet usage is on the way, with the CRTC handing down its finaldecision on how wholesale customers can be billed by large networkowners.
The federal regulator on Thursday gave Bell Canada the approval toimplement so-called usage-based billing to wholesale customers — usuallysmaller internet service providers that rent portions of its network —within 90 days. Under the plan, Bell will charge wholesale serviceproviders a flat monthly fee to connect to its network, and for a setmonthly usage limit per each ISP customer the ISP has.
Beyond that set limit, users will be charged per gigabyte, dependingon the speed of their connections. Customers using the fastestconnections of five megabits per second, for example, will have amonthly allotment of 60 GB, beyond which Bell will charge $1.12 per GBto a maximum of $22.50.
If a customer uses more than 300 GB a month, Bell will also be able to implement an additional charge of 75 cents per gigabyte.
CRTC grants concessions
Inits May ruling, the CRTC said Bell could not implement its usage-basedbilling system until it had moved all of its own retail customers offolder, unlimited downloading plans. The requirement would have beentroublesome for Bell because it would have meant punishing its oldestand most loyal customers.
As another condition, the CRTC also required Bell to offer towholesale ISPs the same usage insurance plan it sells to retailcustomers.
Bell appealed both requirements, saying the rules don't apply tocable companies and that they would constitute proactive rate regulationby the CRTC, which goes against the government's official policydirection that the regulator only intervene in markets after acompetitive problem has been proven.
In Thursday's decision, the CRTC rescinded both requirements, thereby giving Bell the go-ahead to implement usage-based billing.
Customers of smaller ISPs such as Teksavvy and Execulink who signedup for service before Feb. 1, 2007, will be "grandfathered," where theirunlimited usage plans will be honoured. The CRTC did, however, giveBell the right to periodically raise rates on grandfathered plans inorder to urge customers on to metered services.
Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2010/10/28/crtc-usage-based-billing-internet.html#ixzz13gpLOYZ8
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