Jared P.D. Clinton

OpenMedia.com is working towards a solution for Canadians. (Open Media Screen Grab)

When it comes to Internet access, Canadians aren’t getting the bang for their buck when compared to countries of similar economic standing.

Canadian Internet access is, “almost a human rights violation,” Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos told reporters during a September Merrill Lynch Media, Communications and Entertainment conference in Los Angeles .

“Canada does pay some of the highest prices for some of the worst Internet (access) in the industrialized world,” said Lindsey Pinto, the communications manager for OpenMedia.ca, a company working towards affordable Internet service for all Canadians.

Canadians see some of the steepest pricing in bandwidth overages and can face throttling – a process in which Internet providers control the speed of a user’s Internet.

Pinto said “big telecom” has a “strong ability to price gouge” because with little competition, they can afford to.

“One of the key things that we need to do is push back against big telecom, in order to create competition and to create a competitive check,” said Pinto, adding that OpenMedia’s Stop the Meter campaign is a good way for Canadians to fight for their Internet rights.

Michelle Noorenberghe, 18, a firstyear kinesiology student at University of Guelph-Humber and resident of North campus’s residences, said the available options are a concern.

The Internet bandwidth cap in residence – which limits her ability to download files, watch videos, and browse the internet to five gigabytes per week – can make completing school work difficult, she said.

“You find when you actually have to do your work, you have to ask friends to use their Internet,” said Noorenberghe.

Steve Lilley, an application developer for Union Gas Limited and freelance developer, uses Bell as his provider and said bandwidth caps can have an affect on his ability to complete his freelance work.

“There are times when I’m moving large documents to clients and it can concern me that I’m going to end up going over the bandwidth limit,” said Lilley.

Lilley has gone over his bandwidth limit before, and said that he had no idea that it had happened.

“My eyes just about popped out of my head,” he said. “There was no warning. I had to threaten to cancel my service just to get them to reduce the bill.”

A British mobile app company is looking to change Toronto’s cab marketplace in a big way.

Courtesy Hailo

“It’s a totally new experience – it’s a new way to hail a taxi,” said Raymond. “It’s a lot more convenient for the passenger . . . they don’t have to do anything but open up their app and, in two taps, they have virtually hailed a taxi cab.”

Toronto becomes the first Canadian Hailo dispatch, joining London, Dublin, New York, Chicago and Boston.

“Toronto is a world-class city. It’s a taxi cab market that has some significant opportunities for improvement,” said Raymond, adding that Hailo was excited about the operation in Ontario’s capital.

Humber student Constance Lamothe, an 18-year-old first year Protection, Security and Investigation student, said that she occasionally takes cabs in downtown Toronto, and Hailo’s service interests her.

“Sometimes hailing a cab can be kind of tedious,” said Lamothe.

Stephanie Fusco, who used Hailo for the first time just two weeks ago, said her trip was excellent.

“It was really easy for me to pay at the end of the journey, and I had an automatic tip, so I didn’t have to worry about figuring out the tip or having any cash on me,” said Fusco.

Though some may feel using cashless transactions and having their credit card information saved to a mobile app is unsafe, Fusco said she felt entirely secure.

“Once you get over the initial hurdle, you’re in a great situation where it becomes easy and convenient to use cashless payments,” said Fusco.