The Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission has passed a new law that makes it impossible for companies like TekSavvy in Canada to offer unlimited bandwidth to customers.
On Saturday, the company sent out a mass email to all their customers warning them that as of March 1, 2011, all customers with 5Mbps speeds and 200GB and unlimited bandwidth caps will now only have a mere 25GB allowance. The new ruling by the CRTC prevents leasing companies from having unmetered bandwidth from Bell. Many companies in Ontario and across Canada lease from Rogers and Bell, but have since been allowed to offer unmetered Internet bandwidth caps.
TekSavvy has since updated their website to reflect the new changes. Their new plan offers customers 25GB for 5Mbps down and 800Kbps up, but now offers insurance up to 300GB for $55 extra per month. Rogers closest comparable plan offers customers 15GB cap with 3Mbps down and 256Kbps up for $35.99.
The CRTC"s reasoning behind the sudden change is to prevent high-activity users from ruining the experience for other customers, who may not use as much bandwidth as their neighbour.
Fortunately for "Cable" customers of TekSavvy, their current plans remain unchanged for now. The company is still offering one unlimited package with 15Mbps down and 1Mbps up for $54.95 per month, but TekSavvy is no longer accepting new customers, as they have run out of available IP addresses, another reason why IPv6 is important. Rogers offers no "unlimited" plan on their website.
Thanks to Ken Barber for the tip!