Cochrane People Demand Choice and Competition! (Internet, Cable and Telephone)

Don't comment if you're going to hide who are! You can leave now!

If my husband said he tried to contact you, then he did! How dare you suggest that he is misleading anyone!! Let's try to remember here who the politician is ok?! As for feeling free to contact you via Facebook? That's a crock and you know it!! I have a picture here of when he tried to do that and you have yet to even look at it so nice try. Quite misleading if you ask me!!

Yup I agree with you on this post for sure!

Would just be nice to get the savings bundles offer.

We'll as for people on the outside, I can tell you what you told the other guy... Get with the times and don't live in the boonies. I've lived other places before, not originally from Cochrane and from what I've experienced in other places, CTS is overpriced for the speeds they deliver. Warp factor 3 is the top package that offer download speeds of up to 7 Mbps and upload of up to 1 Mbps and it only cost 75$ a month!!!!! Weird that Politis ran for the conservatives because they're all about out sourcing and competition.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but I don't work for CTS, heck I don't even live in Cochrane anymore. Last time I checked, Microsolve and Lake Land get their service from Ontera, not CTS. Sure it might get to them through CTS' cable plant, but the connection is to Ontera - or NorthernTel once the sale is done. I'm not worried about competiton, nor am I saying that there isn't room for improvement, I just think that Cochrane has it good, you people who are signing this petiton have probably never left town and had to deal with the likes of Eastlink and NorthernTel... Last time I checked, how many employees does Eastlink employ in the town of Cochrane? How many do you think NorthernTel will? They're already cutting 6 jobs with the Ontera takeover! Yep, 6 less people paying taxes, buying groceries, gas, the list goes on and on... http://www.baytoday.ca/content/news/details.asp?c=63969 How about you ask someone with the competition when's the last time there were actual NTel technicians paying taxes and buying things in their towns? Iroquois Falls? Maybe Smooth Rock? How about Earlton, Englehart? the list goes on and on... They just keep cutting! As for your beloved Chapleau fiber optic, how many of their customers can actually get the service? CTS services those who live as far West as Frederickhouse, East as Norembega, North as the ferry in Clute and South as the 10 mile corner. I think that's pretty darn amazing for a little independent company! I'd like to see the Ntels and Eastlinks try to offer the same thing - I know they can't because I live where they are the service providers, and a lot of people are still on dial-up my friend! I live in a city serviced by NTel, they just offered their FibreOp service, but I can't get it because I'm fed underground. They have to trench a fibre underground... I'm not holding my breath on that one! Just saying, be careful what you guys wish for and be grateful with what you have! It's not all that great

Oh great here comes the paid CTS shills, what part of CTS do you work for? If you don't work for CTS then you are one of the business elite protecting your own. Microsolve and Lake Land get their juice from CTS... Why you worried about competition, if CTS offer great service at a great price then they should have no problem against the competition. You just know deep down that your beloved CTS would get crushed. If a small town like Chapleau can get fiber optic internet from Vianet, why shouldn't we get in on that?

You're worried about competiton? This is what you should be worried about, not CTS: http://www.timminspress.com/2014/07/23/angus-challenges-ontera-sale If this goes through, NorthernTel will have a monopoly over the WHOLE NORTH!!!!

As for CTS landlines, get with the times, get a cell phone! Stats Canada says in 2008, 8% of all Canadian households relied exclusively on cell phones. In 2013, that number jumped to 21%.

http://www.cochranetimespost.ca/2012/09/27/cochrane-utilities-now-and-cts-continue-important-community-role All I have to say... As for Internet competiton, last time I checked there was Lake Land and Microsolve, no? What about all the cellular companies? They have internet options! As for Cable, it's up to Eastlink to upgrade their outside plant - their equipment is antiquated and cannot handle digital service. They already pay rent on the poles, they just need to upgrade their stuff! Oh, one more thing, anyone with a 272 landline can get ADSL... ask anyone who lives in the rural area in your neigbouring towns to see if they get high speed internet. NorthernTel? HA HA, I don't think so, and customer service? forget about it! You want internet? They send you a box, hook it up yourself! Cochrane, be grateful for what you have, the grass isn't greener on the other side of the fence. I've been a customer of the competition and you guys have it pretty good...

You're the man Pierre, it's about time someone does this!

While I appreciate the initiative Pierre, I'd like to add some facts to the discussion so people are actually making an informed choice on this. Firstly, I have not received any request from you to discuss this issue. Unless there was a communication breakdown somewhere, this part of your statement is misleading. Your premise that the town is somehow blocking competition is also not accurate. In fact, it's not legal for the town to do that. There isn't a market big enough here for more than one service provider and this is why the competition has not entered the fray. As well, we have reorganized the Town in general (including CTS) to change its approach from resisting competition to improving the products we sell and inviting competition. CTS is in the midst of a $2 million dollar upgrade to provide fiber optics to our community. In doing this CTS will be offering high definition digital television services by the end of the year. At the same time, we will be increasing internet speeds to be competitive around the region and bundling packages that will provide unparalleled options to the town. We have had the Call Display option ready for cell phones for over a year and are waiting for Bell and Rogers to activate this. As well, CTS provides same day service where the others who operate from elsewhere simply do not. So by the end of the year, there will be high definition TV, Phone and internet bundles available with same day service. And, call display will hopefully be activated by Bell and Rogers by then. Finally, the best part of all this is that the money you spend on these services actually stays here local lowering your taxes and adding good jobs to the local economy, which all benefits the local consumer. We get none of that with the competition. So in summary, its inaccurate to be making the assertions you are here around the town blocking competition. The fact is we cannot by law, we don't and we actually invite competition becau

Thank you for your comments Peter and concerned citizen. I have to say the grass may be greener on the other side, but how would one know if you don't have choice. The town may not legally block competition, but there are many other ways to do just that. I have a general idea how this is being done from inside sources, I will do some more inquiries as to that strategy. May be legal, but not as 'in good faith' as you have elegantly suggested. I have lived here for over 10 years, and have had inferior internet all that time, plain and simple while people everywhere else have speeds double of what we have. I haven't been able to watch Netflix for the past 2 weeks without it buffering every 5- 10 minutes and that is fact, anywhere else, you are not happy with your service you go somewhere else, or your present service provider stays with the times and amps up their services to stay to stay competitive... The fact of the matter, we want internet speed and savings and what we do not have that presently. Microsolve and Lakelands, well I can't comment on these services as I do not utilize them, but, there is a lot of opinions out there on that, just ask around. I won't make any negative comments as these services as they came about because of our unhappiness with CTS. Obviously, this isn't a hard pressed issue with Cochranites as I have only 47 signatures. I assume many people have just accepted slow internet speeds at a high cost. Well, the waters are muddled with many facts here, but it is clear, our internet speeds are slow and costs are high. If bundling services and fibre optics are coming, well, let's just say I won't hold my breath.

I agree it would be nice to have a bundled offer. I hear that CTS might offer TV service someday... maybe then they will have a package bundle to offer at a competitive price? I think they will have to start looking into their current pricing soon, NTel will be in a position to begin offering services of their own once the acquisition of Ontera goes through - they will then own all the internet bandwidth and long distance services coming into Cochrane and all of Northern Ontario! Now that's scary!!! I also think that if the town of Cochrane would leave CTS alone and stop asking for $500,000.00 hand outs every year, they might be able to make better use of that money by being able to offer lower prices for their services???? Maybe someone from the Cochrane Utilities Board would like to comment, since they are the ones approving these payouts and I believe they also set the ADSL prices??? (since it's not regulated by the CRTC like the landlines are.)

Once I get enough signatures, I will present them to the Town in an open council meeting. I have asked Mayor Peter POLITIS for a response a few weeks ago to questions why this practise exists in Cochrane and he has failed or refused to respond.