Sasktel has announced that it does not plan to employ usage based billing on its wireline Internet services. As part of the same interview, the CEO also indicated they are investing in upgrading the network to offer more capacity.
For the supporters of government ownership of utilities, this move adds weight to the contention that governments need a strong presence in the provision of broadband services.
While I prefer a model that looks towards competition and choice as being the means to satisfy the broadest range of user needs, it is important to design the market structures so that competition can thrive. If not, it will be tough to argue against the assertion that governments should take a lead role in provisioning broadband infrastructure like they are doing in Australia.
