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There are plenty of third party ISPs that offer plans without data caps. I've used Start.ca for a few years now and I've been very happy with the service. Mob

by rpeden 10y ago

There are plenty of third party ISPs that offer plans without data caps. I've used Start.ca for a few years now and I've been very happy with the service. Mobile is indeed quite awful, though.

sbarre 10y ago
The challenge a lot of people face, particularly in the downtown of cities, is that Bell, Telus and Rogers are locking up entire condo buildings with "exclusive provider" access by wiring the building at construction.. So if you move in, you have to sign up with whoever signed that deal. And it's not like you get a discount or some kind of special service, you just lose the choice. I found this out the hard way when I moved into my current place last fall. I was with Teksavvy (a relatively good 3rd party independent ISP) and when I called to schedule my move, they told me they couldn't service me in my new building, and I was forced to sign up with Rogers (who provide good service, but it's more expensive). Now I know this is a thing (and I found out it's quite common), so I'll be more careful next time, but I bet a lot of people don't know (or care), so this is yet another way that the big telcos are doing everything they can to undermine customer choice in Canada.
- rpeden 10y ago
  Thanks for the heads up. I'll definitely watch for this next time I move.
- seanp2k2 10y ago
  They do the same stunt in the US. Most apartment complexes can only get Comcast or AT&T (typically not both, or only DSL at highly reduced speeds (768kbps vs 100-200mbit for cable).
- hanklazard 10y ago
  This is my situation with Comcast in Boston.
- j1vms 10y ago
  > locking up entire condo buildings with "exclusive provider" access by wiring the building at construction.. These days, that sort of thing has got to affect sale/resale value to a small, but still noticeable extent. If it doesn't, it should. That should help to discourage those arrangements in the long run.
  - baddox 10y ago
    My previous apartment building (condos, although I rented) in downtown San Francisco had such a wiring deal with AT&T U-verse from its 2008 construction up until around a year ago. Apparently enough of the condo owners got fed up and got the homeowner association to rewire everything and bring in a new ISP (the mostly excellent Webpass).

by rpeden 10y ago

There are plenty of third party ISPs that offer plans without data caps. I've used Start.ca for a few years now and I've been very happy with the service. Mobile is indeed quite awful, though.

sbarre 10y ago

The challenge a lot of people face, particularly in the downtown of cities, is that Bell, Telus and Rogers are locking up entire condo buildings with "exclusive provider" access by wiring the building at construction.. So if you move in, you have to sign up with whoever signed that deal. And it's not like you get a discount or some kind of special service, you just lose the choice. I found this out the hard way when I moved into my current place last fall. I was with Teksavvy (a relatively good 3rd party independent ISP) and when I called to schedule my move, they told me they couldn't service me in my new building, and I was forced to sign up with Rogers (who provide good service, but it's more expensive). Now I know this is a thing (and I found out it's quite common), so I'll be more careful next time, but I bet a lot of people don't know (or care), so this is yet another way that the big telcos are doing everything they can to undermine customer choice in Canada.

rpeden 10y ago
Thanks for the heads up. I'll definitely watch for this next time I move.
seanp2k2 10y ago
They do the same stunt in the US. Most apartment complexes can only get Comcast or AT&T (typically not both, or only DSL at highly reduced speeds (768kbps vs 100-200mbit for cable).
hanklazard 10y ago
This is my situation with Comcast in Boston.
j1vms 10y ago
> locking up entire condo buildings with "exclusive provider" access by wiring the building at construction.. These days, that sort of thing has got to affect sale/resale value to a small, but still noticeable extent. If it doesn't, it should. That should help to discourage those arrangements in the long run.
- baddox 10y ago
  My previous apartment building (condos, although I rented) in downtown San Francisco had such a wiring deal with AT&T U-verse from its 2008 construction up until around a year ago. Apparently enough of the condo owners got fed up and got the homeowner association to rewire everything and bring in a new ISP (the mostly excellent Webpass).