The Fraser Institute has come out in favour of dropping the remaining foreign ownership restrictions in the telecom industry as the way to solve our current policy issues in the wireless sector. Reducing and eventually eliminating the foreign ownership restrictions is...
Disruption
Wireless Ad Battles
The prospect of Verizon moving into the Canadian wireless market has resulted in an unprecedented ad campaign from the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA). Not since the days of the proposed “cable tax” that would have required cable, satellite...
Trip-Sharing is Giving Cabs a Rough Ride
Canada’s taxi industry enriches a tiny minority, exploits drivers and provides expensive and spotty services for many people highly dependent on cabs, such as women and the poor. It increases the rate of car ownership, as people who might otherwise rely on cabs find poor availability and high fares work against them. Finally, it prevents us getting full value from the millions of privately owned cars on the road. Fortunately, help is on the way.
German Perspective on Spying and Privacy
The global spying scandal shows that the US has become manic
Featured News
Time to Stop Lockdowns, Vaccine Mandates and Crushing Our Charter of Rights
If one was to discuss the state of the world’s democracies in September of 2019, it would look entirely different than it does today in 2022. Three years ago, Canadians generally thought that: our democracy was relatively strong and citizens would defend their...
Propaganda Rules the World
One of the greatest books that explain how the world works is Propaganda by Edward Bernays. The man dubbed “the father of public relations” applied the psychological ideas of his uncle Sigmund Freud upon the masses, triggering their basic motivations to the benefit of...
UBB Costing – Guest Post
The following is a Guest Post submitted by Roland Renner.
UBB for Internet Access – The Need for Cost Analysis, Technology Considerations and Service Definitions
The first reaction of many people to the idea of usage based billing is intuitively positive. People should pay for what they use. This seems perfectly fair and reasonable. Specific implementations, however, require cost analysis, and a hard look at technology choices and service definitions. Only then is it possible to determine if a UBB scheme will help to use resources effectively.
Network services like power and telecoms are provisioned for peak usage. Customers who require service at the peak times are therefore responsible for the highest cost. It is usage at the system peak that is the key cost driver of capacity requirements, not just usage alone. Specific applications of usage based billing, however, do not necessarily reflect the underlying cost drivers.
Another key factor to consider is the time horizon and the technology environment. Are we dealing with the short term or over several years when we need to consider replacement of current plant? Are we dealing in a technologically stable environment or one of rapid change?
The Silliest Policy we Have: Why free municipal Wi-Fi doesn’t and can’t work.
Free government wireless Internet in the downtowns and tertiary institutions of Saskatchewan’s major cities is a policy failure that the provincial government should reform.
The Silliest Policy we Have
Why free public wireless Internet is the silliest policy we have.
Media Release – The Folly of Saskatchewan’s “Free” Public Wireless Internet: The free wireless Internet network “Saskatchewan! Connected” in major Saskatchewan downtowns and tertiary campuses is a frustratingly silly policy that should be reformed.
A media release summarising the key points of the Frontier Backgrounder Saskatchewan! Connected?
More Competition – More Choice
Financial Post reports on the Clement's testimony at a HoC Committee hearing. ...since 2006 his policy aims for the sector have been but two — more competition and more choice. “I don’t think anything can be clearer,” he said. Hopefully, the minister also has a...
Wireless Competition News
The rules applying to the next auction of spectrum will be an important indicator of how committed the government is to stimulating competition in telecom sector.
Broadband – The Australian Way
Now that the government is building a national fibre network, the question comes up how to operate it
Bill Gairdner’s Visit
A review of Bill Gairdner’s visit to Regina promoting “The Trouble with Canada… Still.”
Don’t Throw the Baby Out With the Bath Water
The Globe reports on the need to develop secure funding to support scientific research in Canada's North. “How else would we expect to learn about the Arctic, if we don't do it ourselves?” asks James Drummond, professor of physics at Dalhousie University and principal...