CRTC declares broadband internet a basic service!

[maryjane48]

Whenever a man in a business suit announces exciting changes for the little guy, RUN!

The CRTC is corrupt. I'm about as excited with this announcement as I was when the CRTC announced pick-n-pay! I called Shaw up wanting SN360 in HD. Shaw said that my current package doesn't support pick-n-pay but suggested I get the NHL Centre Ice package for $35/m. F*&%k you Shaw! If this was in some parts of Europe the masses would have burnt down Shaw and the CRTC buildings years ago.

i agree fully our crtc needs be disbanded

[maryjane48]

You've just admitted you have no clue. Why argue a topic you don't understand?

I'll let you in on a secret - you could have gigabit service and you'd still think it's slow.

hardly , but what your post shows is you have never had shaw internet .

[Urban Cowboy]

^^ What the person was attempting to tell you is that you don't quite grasp how the internet works.

You can have the fastest plan on the planet but that speed you pay for will always be only as good as the weakest link in the path between your computer and your target destination.

If that target happened to be some persons home server that consists of decades old hardware, and a low budget internet plan, then there's no way you're going to get much benefit from your premium plan. Even less so if multiple users are trying to obtain the same data.

The weak link could also be your own hardware.

It's easy to point the finger at Telus or Shaw but they aren't always the guilty ones.

[Jonrox]

Shaw's internet 150 is pretty damn amazing. As long as you have the equipment to handle the speed, you'll never be "bogged down". I wasn't happy with the speed I had on day 1 after upgrading (it was fast but not what other people were reporting they were getting) so I went and got a shiny new router and BAM... unbelievable speed. My old router couldn't handle the speed, especially over wifi.

Streaming services that used to buffer for a few seconds now start to play instantly... I can't remember the last time I lagged while gaming... I swear NHL Gamecentre is better than TV quality... I don't have any 4K screens but I have to assume this speed would be able to handle it easily in spite of the necessary bandwidth.

If you have this plan and it feels like it's not keeping up then it's your equipment, not them, that's the problem. The plan is overkill for almost anything you would use it for at home... and it's awesome.

[maryjane48]

^^ What the person was attempting to tell you is that you don't quite grasp how the internet works.

You can have the fastest plan on the planet but that speed you pay for will always be only as good as the weakest link in the path between your computer and your target destination.

If that target happened to be some persons home server that consists of decades old hardware, and a low budget internet plan, then there's no way you're going to get much benefit from your premium plan. Even less so if multiple users are trying to obtain the same data.

The weak link could also be your own hardware.

It's easy to point the finger at Telus or Shaw but they aren't always the guilty ones.

so let me get this straight , my ps4 pro is old hardware? my new gaming computer is old hardware ? shaws newest router is old hardware? lol ok i guess i have to teleport future next time i buy stuff? lmao , how old are you? 12

[Urban Cowboy]

so let me get this straight , my ps4 pro is old hardware? my new gaming computer is old hardware ? shaws newest router is old hardware? lol ok i guess i have to teleport future next time i buy stuff? lmao , how old are you? 12

12? No not quite, but your condescending, and still clueless response, suggests you may well be.

I take it you didn't note the word "could" in the post you are criticizing in typical fashion.

Do a little research and teach yourself something about how the internet works, before displaying your ignorance for all to see.

Here's a clue, you can have the best hardware known to man at your place, but if you try to connect to a site that has inferior hardware you will notice it, because your ps4 pro won't make up for the decades old outdated server at the other end, just as an example.
If you try to connect to a site that millions of others are trying to connect to at the same time you will also notice it, more so if their hardware is barely able to keep up with demand. What do you think DOS attacks are all about?

If you're on Shaw and you try to connect during peak times, on a Friday night or such, when all the rest of your neighborhood has the same idea, then you'll also notice it.

If you try to connect to Castanet, during one of the many times their hosting site is functioning at sub par, you're going to notice it.

Try and process what some are attempting to tell you. Who knows it could even save you some money!

We only have Shaw's 25 plan and yet with 18 devices connected there's no issue and no one complaining.

[DANSPEED]

It's easy to point the finger at Telus or Shaw but they aren't always the guilty ones.

I don't know about Shaw but Telus will tell you any crap to make a slow speed issue originating from your end. My favorite line so far has been "You have a weak power bar."

If broadband internet access does become a basic service I bet modem rentals will be over $50/m! The CRTC said nothing about overcharging for hardware!

[Glacier]

I think high speed internet should be provided just as easily as the telephone, though, I should point out that it's not as easy to get a telephone as it used to be. For example, phones first came to my community in the early 1990s. The price was quite affordable. Fast forward 10 years, and the small community of Eagle Lake some 10 km away from the fibre optic line wants phone lines, but this time the cost per household is so high they don't get it.

[Woodenhead]

lol if you live in rural area this good news , but it wont mean lower bills lol

I read that Teksavvy will be dropping prices in some areas. So you are not correct on that.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/crtc-teksavvy-1.3906730

My price dropped. Location doesn't matter. Many customers not only got a price reduction, but at the same time got a speed increase. Here's an example: http://i.imgur.com/HLVOCOC.png

TekSavvy rocks.

[Loed]

Firstly, if a service "bogs down" 90% of the time it your own fault, or something is happening on your home network that you don't understand. It's not a bad thing to be unaware of it, not everyone has the time to dedicate to this crap.

IF it's getting to that point, here's what you do:

-Make sure everyone is offline(all computers/computing devices powered off) except one.

-Connect this device via an ethernet cable, or on 5G WiFi. (Ethernet cable is the preferred option)

-Run a speed test, write this result down.

-Power cycle(unplug the power from the back, plug it back in) your ISP(Shaw, Telus, Teksavvy) router.

-Wait till it comes back up and speed test again.

-Compare the results to your subscribed plan.

-If it is less than 80% of your max subscribed speeds, call in and report it. There may be an issue going on and they will let you know or figure out how to fix it.

-If you're getting consistent full speeds, start turning devices on one by one until it drops again. It may not drop right away as the service that was killing your bandwidth is likely idle until a point. Heck your kid may have shut off his torrent/usenet client to get the heat off their backs... ;)

This will help you sort out where the issue is/was and you'll learn how to deal with it for future events.

BTW, power bars DO cause a lot of strange issues. The call center folks lean on it quite heavily at times, but it IS a valid troubleshooting step that may actually save you time instead of waiting on a technician to come and find out it's your *bleep* power bar and charging you for their call out. Have patience with the call center people, they have certain things that they HAVE to ask or it could quite literally cost them their jobs. If you ask for a technician, and it's an in home issue. Be prepared to pay.



As per internet should be as easy as getting a phone line. It is. If you don't live in a horrible, undeveloped area of the world.
Getting DSL(or fiber/cable) services to rural communities is expensive and the pay back on investment will likely never be seen for decades. Getting phone is much easier as the distance it can travel without expensive equipment is substantially further than internet. Who foots that bill? If there's no money to be made, there's zero incentive. If the community wants to foot the initial investment, Telus or Shaw will be happy to schedule a build.

10km away is at minimum 20 poles in the ground, then however many to service the individual homes. Not everyone will want it anyways. A high estimate will be around 70% of the population will order it, close to 40% will retain ongoing services. So suddenly you have 500k-1mil worth of equipment and labor for very little purpose.

Also, internet is internet. 150 from shaw is the same as 150 from Telus. You MAY experience some saturation issues with Shaw, but for the most part they have that stuff figured out now. It all depends on the area.

[TylerM4]

BTW, power bars DO cause a lot of strange issues. The call center folks lean on it quite heavily at times, but it IS a valid troubleshooting step that may actually save you time instead of waiting on a technician to come and find out it's your *bleep* power bar and charging you for their call out. Have patience with the call center people, they have certain things that they HAVE to ask or it could quite literally cost them their jobs. If you ask for a technician, and it's an in home issue. Be prepared to pay

Great post thank-you. I did want to comment on this statement. Got a lot of experience with desktop support and rarely do I find problems caused by a powerbar outside of a no power scenario. About the only thing I've seen is with the fancy surge protector bars that are designed to protect your Ethernet adapter/port from a surge in addition to protecting AC power. Seen these fail causing lack of network connection while still powering the computer.

Everyone's experience is different, but I'd say for every powerbar failure I've diagnosed 5 power supply failures. And only once has the powerbar failure manifested as something I'd call a "Strange Issue". We do use simple good quality bars tho. Your experience may differ if you use those fancy "protect everything" bars or the "10 power bars for $30" specials off of ebay.

Having said that - If the call center folks aren't checking the basics like power/plugged in and "Did you reboot?" they'll get a good tongue lashing when the techs report the resolution. My very 1st dispatch call as a young computer tech was just this. Customer came back from vacation and her laptop wouldn't power on. Call center confirmed that it was plugged in....to a power bar that was turned off.

[w84u2]

Okay, Tyler. I have another question for you, of a personal nature.......

I am thinking of buying a home in a remote location. I won't go where there is no phone service, but will have satellite TV. Can I get internet service via satellite?

[TylerM4]

Okay, Tyler. I have another question for you, of a personal nature.......

I am thinking of buying a home in a remote location. I won't go where there is no phone service, but will have satellite TV. Can I get internet service via satellite?

It's been a while since I've looked into this. I'm sure others here can provide additional information tho.

From what I recall there are 2 types of satellite internet service:
1st type - satellite for download with a regular phone line for upload. Reasonably economical, performance is hit and miss.

2nd type - 2 way satellite phone type of service. Similar to using cellular data but satellite instead. Very expensive last I looked and performance wasn't all that great.

That's satellite tho: Generally there are other options depending on your exact location like cellular or even microwave.

[Bsuds]

Okay, Tyler. I have another question for you, of a personal nature.......

I am thinking of buying a home in a remote location. I won't go where there is no phone service, but will have satellite TV. Can I get internet service via satellite?

https://www.xplornet.com/our-internet-packages/

[w84u2]

Okay, thanks for the info.