A few points I'd like to make:
The amount of usage that Shaw provides is VERY low. It is *easily* used up for common tasks.
If you use Skype video or Facetime, or any other form of video chat, it uses approximately 1/2 GB per hour. I guess Canadians aren't supposed to move towards the future for video communications, with the rest of the world?
If you play console games, it's much worse than PC games. Why? PC games typically offer dedicated servers. On a Xbox or PS3, you will often randomly be chosen as the server. Instead of 50mb/hour, it can consume 250mb per hour, or more. If you use Vent/Teamspeak, it can consume an extra 50mb per hour as well. If you play WoW in a raid situation with lots of people, it can consume a surprising amount of data.
If you use online backups, it consumes extreme amounts of data.
If you contribute your CPU cycles to help fight diseases by helping folding@home, you can expect to pay extra for your kindness.
If you watch Netflix - Each SD movie is 2GB, and each HD movie is 4GB. If it has a Dolby Digital track and is HD, it consumes 4.5GB on average. Watching one movie per day would be VERY costly. After you're over your cap, a typical HD movie would cost you an additional $8 PER MOVIE paid fully to Shaw.
Windows updates / iPod, iPad, iPhone updates / Virus updates / Xbox updates, etc. all consume large amounts of bandwidth if you have multiple devices in your home.
What if you want to watch Globaltv.ca? Did you know it's owned by Shaw? So every few minutes when a commercial break pops up, you are paying for the bandwidth to send you that commercial!
If you work from home, or if you have your own website, prepare to cut out any extra graphics/audio/video. People won't be willing to view your content otherwise, because they'll have to pay per MB.
If you were to go away on vacation, your internet usage would still accumulate. There is communication on Shaw's side even if your PC's are all turned off, and this ALL counts towards your usage, and you pay for it.
If someone pings your IP for 12 hours straight, you could be in for a massive overage bill - because that counts towards your usage too!
http://openmedia.ca/meter
The petition has received 40,000 signatures in total, and SEVEN THOUSAND signatures today alone. News is spreading, because the CRTC finalized their decision today.
Metered Billing is a way for our ISP to prevent us from accessing their TV competitors, ie: Netflix/Hulu. People are "cutting the cable", but the ISPs will have the last laugh! This is clearly anti-competitive, and the CRTC has approved it. (Their appeals process ended today) The Conservatives are quiet about it, and they refuse to answer any questions regarding metered billing. The NDP, however, are furious about this decision.
http://www.straight.com/article-3695...ternet-service
By the way, the term "UBB" is what the ISPs want you to call it. It makes the scam almost sound "fair". In fact, it should always be called "Metered Billing". It costs Shaw 1-3 PENNIES per GB, but they charge us 1-2 DOLLARS.
Make no mistake about it, companies like Netflix and Hulu will either leave Canada, or never come here to begin with. Innovative products that you see available in the US, will not come to Canada. By the time enough consumers find out what's going on, it will be too late.