Icasa's ADSL ip-op

[ic]

Rudolph Meyer from consumer activism website MyADSL

However, it is the ambiguous nature of the language used for the new regulations on price that may allow ADSL service providers to continue to maintain their exorbitant rates.

Mashile insisted that the changes to the regulations regarding usage capping were altered after it came to light that the ISPs, and not Telkom, were capping usage.

<commentary>

A reasonably accurate article unfortunately punctuated with mistakes: there is currently only one provider of an ADSL service, and that is Telkodemonopolies, and it is the cause of the exorbitant ADSL rates.

Also, the allegedly incompetent narcoleptic @ ICASA is merely proving himself to be a dumbass - a fundamental lack of understanding that Telkodemonopolies is the monopoly pulling the strings of all ISPs...​

</commentary>

 

[Sneeky]

To think we will only be getting back what we had.

You aint getting anything back that you had, you will be paying for usage, watch this space.

 

[Vrotappel]

Icasa’s chairperson Paris Mashile SHOULD STICK TO SLEAPING ON THE JOB! It's apparently one thing he is good at and knows something about.

 

[Wynsam]

Antowan and BTTB check your PM

Was a request to get a moderator to check the going on in the Cell C /Virgin forum which led to some protective measures beibng takern. Sorry for the thread hijack, just doing my bit to try to protect the unwary.

 

[Gatecrasher]

Paris Mashile is absolutely correct. It is everyone else who is asleep.

Just compare the draft regulations to the actual regulations and you will see there is virtually no difference.

What has changed is everyone's perception as to what these regulations imply. When the draft regulations were promulgated, a once off connectivity charge meant Telkom must only charge for monthly line rental, not an additional ADSL charge. Everyone assumed this meant the monthly access charge (the main cost of ADSL) would fall away. The new regulations say basically the same thing, but now eveyone is assuming that Telkom will simply lump the charges together.

When the draft regulations were promulgated, everyone assumed that raising the cap to 10GB meant getting 10GB for the same price as the standard 3GB (Yay, Christmas). But in reality all the regulations were saying is that any cap must be higher, at least 10GB. The new regulations have gone one better. They don't allow any maximum cap at all. Users must always have the ability to "top up" their cap...

The ADSL service delivery time has been increased from 14 days to 30 days.

But nothing else is substantially different. Shaping must end. "Broadband" is 256kbps or greater. Local bandwidth is not subject to capping (and by definition free).

The draft regulations did not address pricing in any manner, shape or form. Nor have the actual regulations.

Yet when the draft regulations were announced they were praised and cheered, and seen as victory for MyADSL. Prices would soon be slashed....

Now that they come to pass, there is general disappointment. Prices aren't going to change... much, it seems.

The real issue is that ICASA still needs to rule on wholesale pricing, which is currently the subject of a parallel investigation by ICASA into Telkoms cost structures.

The general disappointment that we all feel stems from the fact that the draft regulations were overhyped.

 

[Tns]

to sum up.... nothing has changed.

 

[Debbie]

I seem to remember Telkom representatives being caught out telling fibs at the first ADSL hearings about who was capping who. If I remember correctly some prominent ISP's in attendance basically told ICASA , in front of Telkom that the monopoly was talking poofy.

ISP's only cap cause Telkom changed the rules (1Nov05) to suit themselves and nullify their fibs at the hearings.

This is my recollection of events and they might well be wrong, so please correct me if they are.

100% correct. It was a very awkward situation for the Telkom representatives - I was there on that specific day and it was one of those situations where the Chairperson of the hearings (Councillor Mohlala, who has been nominated for a second term) really gained my respect. She was able to lead the discussions and questions to Telkom in such a way that within a few minutes the entire atmosphere in the room took a sudden turn. It was one of those 'lightbulb' situations where the truth of the matter was made obvious and suddenly all talking stopped. In the brief silence it seemed everybody knew that everybody else knew that Telkom had been caught out.