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Rogers Broadband: New Caps But No New Transparency

By Michael Geist

Earlier today, I spoke to representatives from Rogers, who advised that they are implementing new caps and fees for broadband customers.  In letters going out this week, the company will advise that their "Express" service will have a 60 GB monthly cap with an overage charge of $2 per GB up to $25 per month.  The company promises to provide customers with email warnings as they approach their cap and to provide tools to easily identify Internet usage.  While I have no particular problem with this approach, when I asked whether it would be combined with an end to traffic shaping, the response was no.  When I asked whether Rogers would at least provide greater transparency about its network management practices, I was advised that it was working on the issue.  In my view, that just isn't good enough - transparency should extend beyond how much data subscribers consume (and pay for).  Hitting consumers with new fees was the right time to address Rogers' transparency shortcomings on traffic shaping and its failure to do so suggests yet again that the CRTC and elected officials should follow the FCC lead by prioritizing the issue.

Full post as published by Michael Geist on March 17, 2008 (boomark / email).