🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <Pine.A32.3.91.960217151107.29228A-100000@srv1.freenet.calgar
y.ab.ca>, Brian Kroeker <bkroeker@freenet.calgary.ab.ca> writes
============================================
> In article <MARWOOD.96Feb16084303@dec3300.cuug.ab.ca>, David Marwood
> <marwood@cuug.ab.ca> writes (excerpt):
> ... Further, they have access to modem pool size, usage patterns,
phone configuration, and other information about their competitors that
the small ISPs don't.
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> >Excerpt of follow-up by B.MacDonald:
> Good Grief! Am I wrong or did a phone company just admit (in writing)
> that they are mis-using their monopoly as a telephone utility to
gather information on their competitors in the Internet service spin-off
> business?? ...
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Excerpt of Brian's Follow-Up:
Well, first, look back at the attributions and you'll see it wasn't the 
phone company, it was just a private poster.
But I don't get it, why is it mis-use for a private company like AGT to 
keep good statistics on the use of their equipment? And why do other 
private companies have the right to see the data?...

...I'm sure I'll be called a big business puppet mouthpiece but I get a 
little bored of the one sided big business bashing that dominates 
sometimes. I wish Bill and Ted's Excellent Telephone and Internet
Company all the success but I don't personally want to have to rely on
them.

==============================================
Reply From Burns

Well, you're right of course. There is nothing to say that David is
directly affiliated with AGT, although the tone of his original posting
give that impression ...probably that's what led me down this murky path
and into the swamp amongst the alligators. However, I think the
principal I touched on is still valid and is an interesting point to
discuss in this group.

While some opening of the market has been allowed by the CRTC lately,
the telecommunications industry, especially regional telephone systems,
is still heavily regulated in Canada ...and from what I see happening in
the States, this (in moderation) is no bad thing. However, the granting
of exclusive privilige to one company, by government, in order to
provide a regional utility to the public, does not necessarily infer
that this charter should be used to provide unfair leverage against
competitors in other activities ...particularly when those competitors
are greatly rely on that utility. In other words, did the CRTC grant a
telephone service licence to AGT in the knowledge that AGT would then
use information gleaned under that privilige, to compete against it's
own customers in other business ventures. Moreover, how far should this
extend. 
I certainly do NOT accuse AGT of any wrong-doing, but a less scrupulous
company might even go so far as to withhold connectivity and faster
bandwidths from its Internet Provider clients, in order to suppress
competition and increase it's own sales in that sector. Taken to
ridiculous levels, what if a phone company configured it's service so
that only people with certain protocols unique to their exclusive
hardware and software could access the net in that region? (Remember,
not long ago you HAD to use their phone ONLY!) Moreover, the type of
statistics that a telephone utility company can accrue on it's
competition is valuable commercial Intelligence. Again, is it the CRTC's
intent to allow a utility provider to use information acquired under
privilige of a public utility licence to skew the market place in other
sectors?

On balance, it sounds like AGT is doing a good job and has a loyal
following. (Not all phone companies are so user-friendly though).  I'm
certainly not anti-big business. I'm FOR anybody that can provide me
with the fastest, most reliable access to the broadest range of services
at the best price. In fact, larger phone companies must become involved
in the broader telecommunications spectrum, if we're truly going to
achieve an "Information Highway". Ultimately, however, we will have to
come to grips with the question of what is fair, how level is the
playing field for all players and what responsibilities (and priviliges)
are inherent in the granting of exclusive utility licences when applied
to peripheral activities in the open market. Finally, will the consumer
be best served if one company is able to exercise a mandated leverage
over others by virtue of the fact that it controls a public utility on
which it's competitors (in fact, the whole industry) rely?

Food for thought?
-- 
B.MacDonald