It is rare for me to attempt to be a voice of reason, I love crazy schemes, so bear with me. Are we really discussing building a government run ISP to compete with the ISP's the free market has provided (for good or ill)?
i made a thread about this in the old forum supporting it.
i fully support a single public isp in canada as long as other major isps don't exist. the government should convert or simply take over major isps and the whole telecommunications industry. i don't think people are realizing how important and indispensable the internet is yet. to leave it in the hands of bell and rogers is irresponsible. over 80% of the country uses cell phones and the internet. with public electricity in quebec, public health care and public roads, why is something as important as communication still under control of these fools that few people are satisfied with? i have a computer and phone with impressive, powerful technology that is crippled in this country by high prices and low speeds. 8$/mo. for caller id and you expect me to support rogers and a corporate communications industry?
i am doubtful that administering this system would cost canadians more than it already does. all the money spent by rogers and bell on their marketing campaigns could be put to better use. think of all that money that goes to waste putting billboards and ads up just so they can steal customers from one another. according to rogers 2008 annual report, they spent nearly a billion dollars that year on marketing their wireless and cable operations. correct me if i'm wrong but if canada had a public system wouldn't all this money we're paying go to better use? after all we're being taxed by these companies so they can post pictures of smiling hippos and thin people on our buses. if we had a single isp, marketing would not be required. our public hospitals don't spend their time and money running smear campaigns against each other because they don't compete, they just operate.
medical equipment in hospitals are created and purchased from private corporations and so should communications hardware under a public system. cisco, apple, microsoft, rim, motorola and whoever else would continue doing what they do. the companies who create our modems, routers, switches and cell phones are doing a great job and the job of the public communications network would simply be managing, setting up and running the service. customers would buy their phones and hardware and plug themselves into canada's internet and phone service. it doesn't even need a name or logo. no contracts and no bullshit. just the internet, raw and unfiltered, net neutral and free of business interests.
i'm no economist but i just have a hunch that if managed right (which compared to rogers and bell would require little effort), this is a proper solution for canada. the internet is an essential service and we should have the right to access it.
it should be our policy to promote or at least study if a public telecommunications system in canada is feasible. we can, because we're awesome and don't use ink and feathers to communicate. we're the youngest and therefore most modern party in canada.
if the highway system is public then so should the information highway.
while we're at it, let's phase out fax machines, snail mail, cheques and these primitive tokens called coins and create an online health and monetary system. these are my ultra progressive tech proposals. one thing at a time though.
