[Chapter-delegates] ISP concentration: a viable topic?

[Houle Louis]

Hi Evan,

In 2007, ISOC Quebec supported (with ISOC Global) the Connect Quebec 
start up with seed money  (Un Quebec Branché sur le Monde, in French) 
and is still supporting it by providing expertise and lateral funding 
(ex.: training). UQBM is active in regions where Telcos, as you know, 
are in an oligopoly market. They are not very proactive in lowering the 
cost of the service, nor the quality of the infrastructure. Following 
their business plan, they target mobile services for which you have to 
sign up a 3 years contract (until next December at least).

I like to think that Verizon will play in the same ballpark occupied by 
the Big 3, and will battle to acquire a part of the market where money 
is available: in metro areas. In one way, it could generate some 
competition. In Quebec, the real competition came frome Quebecor.

I like the idea that competition would be better served from inside. Not 
that I don't like Verizon, but I can't think of anyone else than small, 
local, innovative and well-grounded SME to help improove the market..

ISOC Quebec has also been involved in the Digital Plan that the Quebec 
Government would like to launch in a near future. It's still a work i 
progress.

I like the idea 'Think Global, Act Local', but one of the issues is the 
CRTC's consultations and deliberations. Is ISOC Canada willing to 
support us on that? The answer is probably who and how and when!


Louis Houle
Président
La Société Internet du Québec (ISOC Québec)
Louis.Houle at isocquebec.org

Le 2013-07-30 15:29, Evan Leibovitch a écrit :
> Hello everyone,
>
> I come here asking for advice.
>
> As you may know, the Canada Chapter is one of the newest, and we are 
> still surveying our membership and finding who is interested in what 
> issues.
>
> Recently, some local events have happened that caught my attention:
>
> Canada has some of the highest mobile costs in the world, and the 
> field is essentially controlled by a three-company oligopoly of 
> Canadian-owned forms (Bell, Rogers, Telus) which have identical plans. 
> When one changes its plans, up or down, the other two follow suit. The 
> only competition between them appears to be in the selection of phones 
> they each support.
>
> A few years ago some upstart newcomers came on the scene, trying to 
> inject some competition. Based on aggressive (and some would say 
> predatory) focused attacks by the Big Three, they have foundered, 
> losing money, and been for sale.
>
> The recent news is that US giant Verisign (45% owned by Vodaphone) is 
> making noises about buying the upstarts and bidding on spectrum.
>
> At one level this is a very high-visibility issue. The Big Three have 
> been relentless in the media telling us that Armageddon will happen 
> should Verizon be let into Canada, Nobody seems to be speaking up in 
> favour of greater competition.
>
> (Now, I have no great faith that Verizon has the interests of 
> Canadians in mind in its expansion, and it has vcertainly engaged in 
> its share of bully tactics in its home market in the US. But I 
> personally believe that competiton certainly can hurt and has the 
> potential for positive change. (Certainly Verizon is in no mood to 
> collude with the Big Three given the campaigning they've done against 
> it, at least in the short term).
>
> This is ultimately a regulatory issue, for a change in ownership such 
> as this would require approval of the appropriate communications 
> regulator, in Canada's case the CRTC. It will also affect future 
> allocations of mobile radio frequencies.
>
> What I would like to know is:
>
>   * Is this (the subject of telco/ISP competition/collusion) something
>     ISOC or chapters have addressed at a policy basis before?
>   * Have any other chapters engaged in "consumer" type issues like
>     this? Or is it considered out of bounds, even if it's anout telcos
>     and ISPs?
>   * What are the benefits risks in a public campaign favouring of more
>     competition?
>   * Is Verizon sufficiently evil in its current activity to prevent
>     supporting it in Canada?
>
> Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.
>
> -- 
> Evan Leibovitch
> Toronto Canada
>
>     Em: evan at telly dot org
>     Sk: evanleibovitch
>     Tw: el56
>
>
>
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