Thursday 17 February 2011

The Yukon News : The Homesteader and Mr. Troll: A parable about User-Based Billing

The Homesteader and Mr. Troll: A parable about UBB

http://yukon-news.com/opinions/columns/21673/

[excerpt]

User-Based Billing, or UBB, is the single-most important issue facing Canadian internet users right now. But most of us don't have a clue what it's all about.

UBB is actually quite a simple concept that's been rendered complex by the never-ending marketing rhetoric of our internet providers. "Gigabyte," "data cap," "overage fee," "bandwidth," "broadband." Yikes! It's the sort of obfuscated lingo only a lawyer could love.

So here's UBB in simpler terms, as a parable about the struggle of the common person to just stay connected against all odds - and expenses.

I humbly present to you, The Homesteader and Mr. Troll.

The Homesteader had selected her land for its rich soil, fresh water, and temperate climate. The only problem was the picturesque river gorge that separated it from the rest of the world. ...