February 8, 2011 1:44 PM
MONTREAL - The CRTC has decided to take another look at usage-based billing.
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission announced Tuesday it would launch a review of the ruling that had Internet users up in arms and might have had a negative impact on small service providers.
The usage-based billing model would require Canadian Internet service providers to charge customers extra for exceeding monthly download caps. The blow unleashed a backlash from consumer groups and smaller telecom providers, which built a business model around unlimited download packages to compete against larger providers like Bell Canada and Rogers Communications.
CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein said in a statement Tuesday that it is reviewing the decision "of its own initiative." Von Finckenstein told the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry Science and Technology last Thursday that implementation of the decision - set to come into effect March 1 - would be put on hold for 60 days.
"The great concern expressed by Canadians over this issue is telling of how much the Internet has become an integral part of their lives," he said in the statement Tuesday.
The CRTC has asked the public to weigh in by offering suggestions on how to balance the needs of consumers and service providers.
MONTREAL - The CRTC has decided to take another look at usage-based billing.
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission announced Tuesday it would launch a review of the ruling that had Internet users up in arms and might have had a negative impact on small service providers.
The usage-based billing model would require Canadian Internet service providers to charge customers extra for exceeding monthly download caps. The blow unleashed a backlash from consumer groups and smaller telecom providers, which built a business model around unlimited download packages to compete against larger providers like Bell Canada and Rogers Communications.
CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein said in a statement Tuesday that it is reviewing the decision "of its own initiative." Von Finckenstein told the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry Science and Technology last Thursday that implementation of the decision - set to come into effect March 1 - would be put on hold for 60 days.
"The great concern expressed by Canadians over this issue is telling of how much the Internet has become an integral part of their lives," he said in the statement Tuesday.
The CRTC has asked the public to weigh in by offering suggestions on how to balance the needs of consumers and service providers.