UBB… What’s Wrong With This Picture?

Posted by Derek J.Sowa | Posted in , , , | Posted on 8:25 PM

As the debate over UBB (Usage Based Billing) rages on, it would seem that  the ‘Big Telecom’  have all the right answers, or so they would like us to believe. Shame on them! I for one am growing tired of hearing how they need to pay for the infrastructure already in place when we all, as consumers, are being over billed for the services we now receive. Just why do they now want to own the internet? Bottom line… it’s just another money grab. I agree that they may very well own the backbone, (the wires, fibre optics, ect)but the internet is a vast infrastructure with many nodes,  avenues and stations all of which the "’Big Telecom’ have contributed nothing to, so why is it now they feel they should profit off of others? Millions of corporations, businesses and consumers the world round have all contributed to the infrastructure of the internet so should we not reap some rewards also?
A recent article on The Globe and Mail does well to sum it up nicely.
Bell’s vision is an Internet that’s more like your cellphone. Treat every new Internet application as a “feature” that incurs a new monthly fee. Charge a “termination fee” if you get sick of how things are going. Above all, make everything consumers do cost more!
Sound familiar? We currently see this type of billing with our Cable TV, our home phone lines and our mobile phones.  Now, lets try to imagine an internet where if the ‘Big Telecom’ could have free rein to charge us at will as they now do with the other services they provide. It would not be very long before every web page, web app, video or song we clicked on or listened to, would have the all to familiar buttons attached.
Profit… is the real intention behind the current controversy regarding UBB, and no matter what Bell, Shaw Communications, TELUS or any other of the ‘Big Telecom’ may tell us or like us to believe, this must not be allowed to happen under any guise. As Canadians, and more so as consumers, we have to draw the line somewhere.
Click on the link to send your message to the Secretary General, CRTC  Stop The Meter: TNC CRTC 2011-77
Enough is ENOUGH!

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CRTC Ruling - Another Money Grab For Big Telecom?

Posted by Derek J.Sowa | Posted in , , | Posted on 11:30 PM

“When you invest zero, yeah, it’s pretty easy to say the cost-per-gig or per-bit is small. But when you invest billions, you’ve got to generate a return”  Mirko Bibic - Bell’s senior vice-president for regulatory affairs
A recent ruling from the CRTC to allow the big telecom companies ie: the Big Three, (BCE Bell, TELUS Corp, Roger’s Communications) to charge subscribers a Pay Per Usage fee is drawing heavy criticism and rightly so.  Just how much should we have to pay to access the internet, and just what is to be the outcome of a metered internet? Are we not paying enough already?


How many times have we all seen this before? Seems to me that this is just another money grab from the big corporations who only have one thing on their minds. The almighty dollar. (Let the rich get richer while the poor get poorer…) Myself, I’m getting real tired of this. I have more than enough hands in my pockets already!

Listening to them trying to justify their actions by talking about the billions spent on infrastructure just leaves me feeling sick to my stomach. What about the billions they overcharge their consumers for the shoddy cable and cellular services where every thing you do seems to cost you extra? Now they want to control and take over the internet as well! Please, give us a break!


For myself, I find this very disturbing. As a web developer and someone who enjoys streaming different forms of media over the internet, it’s hard to comprehend just why I, or anyone for that matter, should have to pay any additional fee for content that’s more graphic intensive or consumes more bandwidth, when  that’s the driving force behind the internet today.  Most sites today are very graphic intensive and if you stream media you’re bound to consume some bandwidth.  An average person on the web today could easily consume between 50 to 100 gigs of bandwidth per month. As new sites become more graphic intensive and consume more bandwidth then their predecessor, why is it the consumer should have to pick up the tab?
Even non-tech-savvy users are bumping up against download limits, as households seek more entertainment online and connect gaming consoles to the Internet!
It’s a complex issue with many sides but having a pay per use billing system in place will bring the internet to a standstill and will stifle new innovation. I honestly don’t believe that the big three are hurting because of lost bandwidth. However they are more likely hurting because of the potential for billions more of our hard earned money pouring into their coffer has escaped their grasp. Let’s hope that the recent ire of big businesses who rely on heavy data transmissions and the intervention of the Harper Government puts a stop to this blarney that the telecom companies would like us to believe. If not, perhaps we may wake up one day to find what once was, is no more thanks to the greed of a very wealthy few…

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The New Social Media – A Outlet for the Oppressed or Deceiving the Masses?

Posted by Derek J.Sowa | Posted in , , | Posted on 5:39 PM

“The difference between PR and social media is that PR is about positioning, and social media is about becoming, being and improving.” – Chris Brogan

 

socialmediaWhat is the true power behind social media and can it really make a difference in the world today? Recent protests in Egypt show one side of the true power behind social networking.  How a voice of one may overnight, or in a very short time, become amplified to reflect the voice of many. Having myself watched the speed and rise of the most popular social networking sites in the past decade, one has to wonder just what is the driving force behind social networking and how will it play into the next generation.

It really is quite fascinating at which the speed of social networking has grown.  From blogs to real time messages to Facebook, what is for sure to become the ultimate in social networking sites.  While the true potential behind Facebook is still to be discovered,  we can already see the ways in which it has influenced and changed the shape of the internet, and how it affects the lives of people from all around the world. 

In the internet world we see more and more sites becoming connected or associated with Facebook by the various means available.  We have like buttons, and share buttons, link buttons, and the list seems endless. Everyone want’s to be able to share their story with the world or through Facebook. Yet depending what side you represent, the way we share this information, may also be deceiving as is often the case with the Facebook (Like button). Those of us unfortunate enough to experience the sometimes unpleasantness of liking something on Facebook know all to well. Clicking on a button is not always what it may seem to be. Most times,  the real motive is not immediately known nor felt by the unsuspecting user. It only comes to light when perhaps the user’s friends demand that the unsuspecting user stop spamming their email account, or perhaps you find that something is suddenly not right with your computer. A word of advice… Stay away from the like button unless you know what it is you actually like.  Use the share button as it offers you more control over what it is you are sharing and others are less likely to be deceived.

~ullshit

Perhaps something greater than the deceptions though, is the power to bring people together where ever they may be and have their voice be heard throughout the world. From the current uprising in Egypt, to the cries for missing children around the world, social media has seems to have taken centre stage.  Unfortunately at this point, we’ll have to monitor closely how this will all play out in the long run.  In Egypt where censorship has once again taken control to try and shut off the voice of the people, social networking will prevail and the story will be told. With the introduction of social media, no one can stop the masses once the story is out there.  Let us remember, there is a great power behind the freedom of free speech and we must never let  the story be censored. That is the true power of social media and how it will change the world as we see it!

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