Der’s gonna be trouble in JMac’s session today, I know it. Maro, look what he turned in to Jo: Ill Communication
These days, everyone is up in arms over decisions made by the CRTC regarding Canadian content. However, there is a much larger issue at stake here, namely access to the very infrastructures over which Canadian content is transmitted. Generally, people seem to feel that more competition can only be a good thing for the Canadian consumer. According to major telecommunications companies like Telus, opening up the Canadian marketplace will result in better services at lower rates. However, it’s likely that the average Canadian consumer will end up paying more for a basic level of service.
The former monopoly telecommunications companies no longer have an interest in maintaining a basic level of service for individual consumers. When these companies compete for marketshare in a particular location, they do so by offering an initially low rate that does not last for the duration of the contract that a consumer must sign in order to receive service. This is bad enough in cities that can support a variety of options for telecommunications services. The consumer must be vigilant and read the fine print whenever a contract is signed, all the while remaining aware of the fact that the company with whom the contract is being signed will not have the consumer’s best interests at heart. In the end, a city-dweller could simply refuse to sign-up for any internet or phone connection. Living and working in a city without these services certainly isn’t fun, but it probably won’t endanger your life. When it comes to the great number of sparsely populated communities that make up Canada, it’s not safe to live and work without telecommunications. In fact, it’s pretty risky to live in isolation without immediate contact with other members of one’s community. There are many small communities in Canada that have yet to receive the capacity to serve cell phones; but this will change in May of 2008 when Canadian wireless spectrum will again be auctioned-off. These are isolated areas, where people have greater need for cell phones than those who live in cities. Originally, these areas were serviced by the former monopoly companies who ran landline telecommunications in Canada on behalf of Canadian citizens. It used to be the case that any Canadian who wanted phone service could have it by paying a fee that was in keeping with the cost of living at the time. The infrastructure of this system of telecommunication was sponsored by the Canadian government because it was in the best interest of the average, tax-paying citizen. Times have certainly changed, but for isolated communities throughout Canada telecommunications are still akin to an essential service.
It might seem as though today’s fast-paced technological developments would create potential for new modes of telecommunication, however, most of the technology being developed is already owned by the largest corporations in Canadian telecommunications. The Canadian Association of Voice Over IP Providers is a not-for-profit group formed in 2005 by voice over IP providers who felt they needed a means to lobby for their concerns with the telecommunications industry. Leslie Bester, a CAVP board member, maintains that VOIP could not exist without access to competition networks. “Somehow, someone feels that it is possible to build the same infrastructure and compete, trenching fiber, conduits and building a parallel network... It’s simply impossible.” He believes that because it is dominated by a only a few carriers “there is effectively no competition in the wireless arena in Canada”. Even if an up-and-coming new wireless company manages to do well against Canada’s big three (Bell, Rogers, and Telus), chances are that one of these corporations will buy that company out. One example of this occurrence is Fido. Somehow Microcell Connexions, Inc. was able to launch Fido in 1996. They had won a bid for wireless spectrum in the auction that took place in 1995. Yet, by 2002 Microcell was struggling. Andre Tremblay, then President and Chief Executive Officer of Microcell Telecommunications cited “the currently unfavourable market conditions in the wireless telecommunications and mobile internet sector” as the reason for discontinuing its efforts to externally market a new mobile commerce platform. This decision resulted in the elimination of 18 positions in their Montreal office, including the Chief Operating Officer of the project. By 2003, Microcell was filing for bankruptcy protection and by 2004 they had accepted an offer from Rogers Communications for $1.4-billion. Another example of this occurence is Clearnet Communications. Telus chose not to fight for wireless spectrum in the auction of 1995. Instead, they waited and watched while Clearnet Communications, another company that had won a wireless spectrum bid, slowly went under. As the year 2000 rolled in, Telus took control of Clearnet Communications for $6.6-billion. Granted, this was the largest deal in the history of Canadian telecommunications, which might have been wonderful for the people of Clearnet Communications but not so great for the Canadian consumer. At the time of the merger, Clearnet had the maximum amount of bandwidth allowed by Ottawa. Now, Telus has more wireless spectrum allocated to them than any other wireless company in Canada. And they want more.


Everyone knows dat shit was written by C. Gibson, way back at de beginnin o’de millenium, fer fuck’sake. Does JMac think we’re idiots? Maybe he’s tryin to tell us somethin. What de fuck is he doin? Plus, his evaluation is comin up. Time to find out whether he ready to mix wid real society yet. Maybe da’s why he actin up. Alright, den. Lets find JMac an do some sorta simulation, already. This issue is pertinent to nonconditioning paradigms in which awareness of experimental contingencies is measured.
“But at that point it was concluded that the crime itself could only have been committed in a state of some temporary disturbance of the mind, as it were, under the influence of some dangerous monomania...”
“If I may interrupt you for a moment, I’d like to tell you more about the awareness measure used in JMac’s, uh sorry, #060997’s case.”
“You have the floor, now, Dr. X.”
“This awareness measure is directed toward a different set of hypotheses, one other than what was originally recorded.”
“You mean you changed the scope of this particular experiment?”
“It has more to do with the subject’s knowledge of what behavioral outcome is predicted. Here, let me just show you this’imulation. I think you’ll get a better understanding of what I’m trying to explain.”



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“This is fuckin bullshit, man. Why do I gotta even think about this shit?”
“Well, JMac, I dunno what else to say to you. Want an entry level position?”
“You know what that sounds like to me, man?”
“Yeah, I know, but we gotta start you off somewhere. You gotta have goals. Whether you like it or not, you gotta have goals.”
“You mean, I gotta have gaols.”
“Wha?”
Where did’at fuckin vocabulary come from? JMac been playin a lotta Scrabulous lately or what? Or, could be dis ain JMac at all. Better turn on de Turing test. Ha ha ha.
“Listen, JMac. At least one or two members o’de panel (especially de psychologists) are gonna be askin you dese kinda questions. If you were actually to admit de possibility dat you were at fault... You need to acknowledge de part dat you play in dis whole process, JMac. For your own good.”
“Good? What does any of you mothafuckers know about good!”
His levels are shootin outta control. He’s gonna get reprimanded if he don’t watch it. Certainly SEEMS like JMac.
“I’m fuckin public property, man! They don’t care about MY good.”
“Speakin as a person who is also public property, I can tell you dat dey care very much about YOUR good. If you self-destruct, or take someone else down wid you somehow, den they’ll lose der investment. It’s as simple as dat JMac. Everyone wants you healthy. We ain’t an SB clinic.”
At least, as far as I know we ain’t.