CRTC Rules in Favour of ISPs 1999
What can Canada do better than the USA? Canada has succeeded in making high speed Internet access more readily available to all Canadians while the USA Internet Services coalition http://www.opennetcoalition.org/ continue to take on the Goliath of the telecommunications interests over access to cable lines.On September 19/99 the CRTC directed cable carriers to sell their higher speed Internet services to other Internet service providers (ISP) at a discounted (25%) rate. The cable companies have 90 days to make their resale service available to all ISPs. The Canadian reaction has been immediate: America On Line Canada (AOL) signed an agreement with Regional Cable Systems Inc. to provide broad band services to their customers in Sturgeon Falls Ont. Rogers has lashed out at the CRTC after their stock plummeted due to the ruling.
"We're talking about trying to force Rogers to subsidize other people by our huge, hundreds of millions of dollars of investment and innovation and creation of a brand new industry" says Rogers. The CRTC ruling was brought about by the lobbying of Canadian Association of Internet Providers (CAIP) who objected to the cable company's refusal to allow any competing ISP to buy high speed service from them.
As in the USA, the Canadian cable companies were going to force their customers to only use the cable companies ISP if they wished high speed service. The American Cable companies and telecommunication corporations have refused access for third party ISP to their networks. In Oregon officials required AT & T to open its cable TV network to third party ISPs. This touched off a law suit now in the Federal Appeal court
Mr. Soukoreff of KNS indicated that it was the ISP who first developed the Internet and its world wide infrastructure. The philosophy has always been to share resources among all users of the Internet. High speed access is another resource that needs to be shared among all and not only confined to cable companies. He believes, in the long run that ADSL has a greater potential as it can be sent over all copper wires to all homes.
Janice MacPherson of Net Idea indicated that the West Kootenay have another Year before Shaw cable can upgrade their cable system to handle Internet service. This has been confirmed by a Shaw Cable source. BC Tel on the other hand has been more assertive with their newer technology and have already pre wired Net Idea's new office with Fiber Optic cable. According to Ms MacPherson the citizens of BC have enjoyed one of the most competitive ISP markers in Canada with over 100 ISP providers province wide.
Sunshine Cable Services of Grand Forks who have offered Internet cable access for the last four years is still looking into the CRTC ruling. However they now provide wireless Internet access to customers in Midway, Rock Creek, and Big White. Line of site wireless Internet access is available in Castlegar, Trail and Nelson.