Followup...

I've heard from the writer, Jonathan Migneault, of The Wire Report article. He copied it into his 
reply. Turns out he didn't quote me at all or refer to the issue I was concerned about; which is 
ironic, given that he'd asked PIAC for a referral, PIAC knows and is interested in 'my' issue and 
wanted him to talk to me.

Included in Migneault's article was this bit:

"PIAC says it wants to see the obligation to serve, now applied to all Canadians for basic phone 
service, expanded to broadband access."

The obligation to serve re basic phone service hasn't resulted in everyone having access to said 
service. It's simply not affordable for the lowest income households. If the CRTC would lift it's 
policy regarding 911 service, then VOIP firms could issue Canadian customers online numbers with 
Canadian area codes. After all, VOIP users can work around the absence of 911 service by listing in 
their contacts and calling directly the numbers for Police, Hospital, Fire & Ambulance. The ability to 
have online numbers would at least mean that the low-income households that choose having an 
Internet connection over phone service - they can't afford both - could still be reached through 
the phone network.

In other words, the simple removal of the 911 requirement in CRTC policy would bring the original 
goal of delivering basic phone service to all closer to fulfillment. Meanwhile, low income 
households unable to afford phone service haven't 911 accessibility anyway.

Ocean
--
Blog: economicus ridiculous - exercises in miserly minimalism
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