Today is the day that the CRTC has ruled that the nasty 30-day cancellation notice is going bye-bye:

Prohibition of 30-day cancellation policies

The Commission determines that 30-day cancellation policies for local voice services, Internet services, and broadcasting distribution services (e.g. cable and satellite television services) will be prohibited as of 23 January 2015. It will contribute to a more dynamic marketplace and remove unnecessary barriers to consumer choice. Subscribers will avoid double-billing when they cancel their service and move to a different service provider.

For Canadian consumers, this is great news.

We here at Worldline are happy about the change – and for a couple of reasons.

First, it will make switching to us far easier, which will allow far more Canadians to take advantage of the superior products and the service we can provide, while saving them hundreds of dollars a year along the way. Secondly, a customer’s old ISP will no longer have that 30-day window to try to convince customers out of switching.

Big Telco companies have whole floors of people in their corporate towers dedicated to “Win Back” strategies.

You’ve most likely experienced their tactics like the price matching or special promo right?

It turns out that those discounts are usually short-term so Canadians ended up spending just as much or more overall as they would have anyway. Or, the promo pricing only counts if another service is bundled in with the price. These “Win Backs” are designed to make it appear like there is some money to be saved, but there usually isn’t.

Regardless, their tactics work. We’ve lost a significant number of newly signed up customers to their old ISP because they were talked out of it.

Not any longer. As of today, the 30-day advance notice is gone for good.

Which is very good.

All that said, now the same rule applies to Worldline as well. Our customers can drop us at anytime, but we believe that we will gain far more customers than we will lose. Our dedication to customer service combined with fair pricing makes us a far better option for Unlimited High Speed Internet and Digital Home Phone than any of the Big Telcos. We feel the CRTC are both on your and our side on this.

How often do you get to say, “Hey federal government, way to go!”

Worldline is dedicated to providing the best services we can at the fairest prices possible. That is our business model. That is why we are growing so fast.

Last year we introduced Unlimited Cable Internet to augment our Unlimited DSL service and it has been a tremendous success, providing an option for those looking to save on their Internet costs. It turns out, too much of a success. We’ve grown faster than our dedicated cable pipeline can handle.

We would like to say it’s a good problem to have, growing far faster than projected. However in this case, some of our cable customers are receiving poorer service than they should normally expect. This is unacceptable.

To address the problem, we’ve added a new and improved dedicated cable connection that  is more than capable of handling our existing customer base and our future customers as well. It’s big is what we’re saying.

Worldline Cable Internet Service Upgrade

As of today, all new cable customers are on this new service that promises stable, consistent speeds. Unfortunately, transitioning all our existing cable customers to this new and improved circuit is a time consuming process, meaning we can’t do everyone at once.

We have gone through the process to find the customers who are most impacted and we have prioritized their transition, but rest assured all of our cable customers will be enjoying a better online experience soon. 

As we work diligently to rectify this situation, we appreciate your patience, and apologize for any inconvenience.

– The Worldline Team

John Stix is the president of Fibernetics, Worldline’s parent company. Just over 10 years ago, he and a couple of his buddies started up a business in a basement, that has, in just that short span of time, turned into one of the biggest telecommunications companies in Canada.

That experience John earned is invaluable, and that is why he mentors at Startup Weekends, helping the next generation of entrepreneurs to realize their dreams. A global grassroots movement, Startup Weekends empowers entrepreneurs who are learning the basics of founding startups and launching successful ventures.

If you have a great idea for a business, app or service, the next 54 hour brainstorming extravaganza is coming up February 6th. Learn more about Startup Weekend Waterloo Region and let John help you in making your dream a reality.

Worldline had it’s best year ever in 2014, and already in 2015, just over two weeks in, we’re on pace for our best month ever.

Why?

Because of the people who work here. It’s that simple. Our team of telecom professionals work together everyday with the common goal of providing the best service possible at the fairest prices in the country.

It’s a pretty simple formula really. Work hard to make customers happy and the rewards come in increased business, and, an increase in the workforce.

That’s why we’re posting five positions just this week. We’re growing, and fast and we’re looking for talented dedicated people who can help us keep up with the demand.

If you are looking to join a fast-growing tech innovator that embraces the idea that a fantastic workplace culture is what makes a company great, we have some spots that you might be able to fill:

Chances are, not too much. Unless you are into illegal downloading of copyrighted material from torrent sites that is, then you should be paying attention.

The Copyright Modernization Act took effect January 1 of this year and it requires Internet service providers, like Worldline, to send notifications to downloaders whose IP addresses have been identified by copyright holders for perceived violations. The legislation limits the amount a non-commercial downloader can be sued for to $5,000 per case, while damages for commercial infringements can be charged up to $20,000.

Now, that sounds pretty serious, and it is. However there are a number of caveats to the act that are preventing an outright panic in the torrenting crowd.

Here’s an excellent review of what it means from Canada’s e-law expert Michael Geist, Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-Commerce Law at the University of Ottawa that was posted on the Huffington Post.

Torrenting is a problem – even if you don’t do it

While Worldline doesn’t ban torrenting, we do have a Fair Share Policy that strives to provide our customers with a better Internet experience for everyone. Torrenting is a major bandwidth sucker and if we allowed unrestricted torrenting during peak usage hours, other, non-torrenting customers would not have as good an Internet experience. That’s why between the hours of 4:30pm and 2:00am, we, when necessary manage our network to limit torrenting taking up too much of our bandwidth.

Due to this policy, non-torrenting customers will experience improved performance with ‘Real-Time’ Browser Applications, Email Applications, Instant Messaging (IM), Online Gaming, Internet Radio, Streaming Video from Youtube, Netflix etc., as well, ‘client-server’ download services like iTunes, Mac Software Updates and Microsoft Windows Updates to name a few.

Worldline is working hard to provide a better Internet experience for all Canadians. Fair Share dynamically modifies policies to balance available bandwidth and resources so valued customers get better Internet service – at all times.

And, if you insist on torrenting, between 2am and 4:30pm, knock yourself out. But be prepared to receive notifications letting you know that we, and others, know what you’ve been up to.