Update: This story is from a year ago, but it’s still a reminder of the internet situation here in Canada.
Netflix executives have publicly bashed Canada’s internet caps before, and now they’re again on the offensive, reports GigaOM (via The Loop).
Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos said the following at the Merrill Lynch Media, Communications & Entertainment conference in Los Angeles Wednesday, referring to the low broadband caps in place by Canadian internet service providers such as Bell and Shaw:
“It’s almost a human rights violation what they’re charging for internet access in Canada,”
The company previously modified their streams to have Canadian access use less bandwidth, due to low internet caps by providers. Sarandos admitted on Thursday Netflix growth in Canada could improve in broadband access did not have caps and expensive overages, noting:
“The problem in Canada is… they have almost third-world access to the internet.”
Ouch.
Two years ago the issue of user-based billing for internet was a hot button issue, as Ottawa had to step in and overturn a CRTC ruling. Netflix previously included Canada in its performance charts for top networks, but lately has omitted our data.
We have previously reached out Joris Evers, director of corporate communications at Netflix for an explanation, but all he could tell us in June was “Nothing yet for Canada. We’re looking at that though.”
Click here to sign up for Netflix–it’s $7.99 per month and the first month is free.
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I pay $60 for unlimited Internet from Bell. Mind you, it’s just DSL. They removed the cap at least a year ago.
How much other crap did you have to bundle with Bell to get that deal?
As far as I know, it’s available to everyone. Essentially it’s $10 on top of your existing plan to boost it to unlimited.
Only if you have 4 services with Bell, meaning ALL Bell has to offer. If you cancel one like I did, because I didn’t need a standard phone line because of unlimited canada cell access, you need to pay 30$. Meaning, it cost you more than keeping the standard line that you don’t lose, and just add the 10$ on top. They sure know what they’re doing.
20mb no cap. but if i bump to 40mb, its capped at 250gb
Teksavvy 45Mbps/4Mbps for 99$ + tax unlimited. That is a darn good deal. Or you can go with 150 with 300GB limit for 84$+tax
Start internet is 45/5 for $90/month tax included and it is unlimited. I used to be with Teksavvy.
NICE ONE! Thx I will make teksavvy match that or I am leaving. 😀
I use Acanac I have their 25MBPS cable internet. It’s fast, we do lots of downloading… It’s cheap $40/month but we get 10% off because we pay yearly. We also got a free VOIP phone… Been with them since 2009 they don’t throttle or traffic shape. If you check them out tell them I sent you and I get a discount on my bill.
I notice Ted skips the issue that Canadians get a quarter of the content that the US enjoys, but we pay the same price
He is telling the truth. The vast vast VAST majority of Canadians get their internet from Rogers and Bell and we know what that means.