From Michael Geist:
What Lies Behind Bell’s Radical Plan to Raise TV Fees, Block Content, Violate Net Neutrality & Fight Netflix
While Crull argued that Bell doesn’t want protection (in fact, incredibly claimed that a company that has benefited from foreign investment restrictions, genre protection, and simultaneous substitution has never had protection), he proceeded to outline a series of radical reforms that would raise television fees, block access to U.S. channels, violate net neutrality rules, and make Netflix less attractive to consumers.
Couched in terms of “level playing fields†and “secure rights marketsâ€, the speech was fundamentally an admission that given the competitive challenges, Bell’s hope is for a regulatory overhaul. Continue reading.
I just forked over $398 for a new Bell PVR receiver (normal price is $499) because my old one broke over the Christmas holidays and if I had another option other than satellite tv, I would take it in a heartbeat. I work shift work (a mix of days, evenings and nights) and evenings in my family’s household are often busy. I don’t have time to watch tv from 7pm to 11pm when all the good shows come on. Without a pvr I’ve been watching a lot of stuff illegally online or watching Netflix. However, I reached my data cap in both January and February by about Week 3 which is irritating (My only option is satellite internet which has caps). I want to watch shows when I want to watch them, not when companies like Bell want me to watch them. It’s all On Demand or nothing for me. Thats why I saved money for a couple months to get the Bell receiver so I wouldnt have to waste any more time, money and data on illegal downloading. I’d much rather watch tv legitimately but Bell painted me into the corner. If they raise the price even higher I might have to quit them. Also, I love the sound of Crave TV, but I will never subscribe to it as an addition to my regular satellite. Bell is trying to maintain the current tv model but it’s a dying model, being overtaken by the on demand model. Bell needs to get on with the times or go away.