Riddle me this:
- How would you feel if you bought a home and your builder had already decided:
- Who your Internet provider was going to be
- What speed and technology you will get
- How much you will pay?
You have no choice, no ability to opt out, no recourse if the service is bad or there are constant outages. You. Are. Stuck.
- How would you feel if you were told this was going to last for at least 3-8 years, maybe longer.
- How would you feel if you found out that the telecom company probably paid the developer $10 000’s to strip you of this choice?
- How would you feel if your price went up year over year?
- How would you feel if the person across the street from you had choice because they lived in a house and you lived in a condo or a rental apartment?
Would you feel like it isn’t fair?
Would you feel like it isn’t right?
Would you feel discriminated against because of the type of housing you live in?
Would you feel like there are so many things wrong with this that you don’t even know where to start?
If you’re anything like us – you’d feel all of those things…plus a good dose of anger on the side. For good reason. And for that good reason, this week is a big deal for Beanfield and hopefully, for you. Because, this week, we decided that enough is enough. We decided that what used to be a rare occurrence – used only in exceptional circumstances – has become so prolific, that IT HAS TO STOP. We decided to stand up and say that you, the consumer, the one using the Internet, the one paying the bill, should decide what Internet provider you use, what speed you get and how much you pay. Not us, not another telco, not a developer, not a condo board and not a rental building owner. YOU!
This week we submitted a “Part 1 Application” to the CRTC laying out how bad all of the above is and asked them to put a stop to this anti-competitive and unfair behaviour. Using market research and intelligence gathering, we laid out our case in detail and hope that the powers that be will take the issue seriously and give it fair and thorough attention.
We’ll talk a lot more about this over the coming weeks but if you’d like to read our application you can find it here.
