We did it – We put your Internet installation horror stories on the public record!

Yesterday we filed our submission to the CRTC regarding the review of the competitor quality of service regime to ensure indie ISPs stand a fair chance, which means better and more affordable Internet for all. Thank you for speaking out!

Are you an indie ISP (Internet Service Provider) supporter? Have you ever dealt with an aggravating installation or repair appointment? Well, you are not alone and as you may have heard, we have just intervened in an important CRTC review of a system known as the Competitor Quality of Service (CQoS) Regime, which will affect quality of choice and competition among ISPs in Canada.

How, you may ask? Simply put, ISPs are for the most part split into two categories: incumbents (large telecom and cable companies, e.g., Bell, Rogers, and Telus) and competitors (smaller, independent ISPs such as Teksavvy, Distributel, and Start). Incumbent providers sell wholesale Internet access services to indie providers and are supposed to treat all competitors fairly and provide sufficiently high quality of service to enable independent ISPs to truly compete, in accordance with the CQoS regime.

The problem is that the CQoS regime is outdated and requires three major changes to bring it up to speed with telecommunications of the 21st century. Check out this explanatory video by our external legal counsel, Cynthia Khoo, where she explains the issue at stake and the changes we are asking the CRTC to embrace in their upcoming review.

Therefore, we asked you to share your personal stories to include them as part of our submission and highlight the importance of the CQoS regime to a more competitive telecom market. Now it’s official: we’ve filed our submission, which means your voices are on the public record and will help shape the CRTC’s review! So THANK YOU for sharing your stories and speaking out– ensuring a level playing field for indie ISPs is key to healthier competition and pushing our Internet prices down, while encouraging quality services!

See our full CRTC submission below: