wheel - 6:12 pm on Feb 1, 2011 (gmt 0)

it is allowing carriers to charge for usage.

My understanding is that they're not allowing. They're requiring. Therein lies the difference. The companies don't have a choice.

But Wheel, the same companies that have to provide regular phone service to Baffin Island are also the cell phone companies. They have to spread the cost over all of their customers and still have a decent return on the investments.

Again, a misunderstanding. You're assuming that they provide broad coverage where population is thin. This is not the case.

I can name numerous locations that are <3 hour drive east or north of Toronto Canada that have no cell phone coverage. I vacation frequently in that area and there are 0 bars. You'd have a point if the companies were providing coverage - but they don't. And these areas are hardly remote.

Canadian infrastructure doesn't cover all of Canada. It covers the populated area of Canada, and that's basically the big city areas. The rest of Canada? No cell phone coverage and internet that the goverment installed - not private stuff.

BakedJake - naming Atria is again an example of government intervention where they shouldn't be. Atria is hardly a private company like we expect it to be. It's built on the backs of and money from the power company. When the power companies went 'private' (and by private, they're owned by the municipalities, so not really private) they just used their government clout to install fibre. Atria is the power company beauracracy in sheeps clothing - that's why there's no competition there either. And it's not just Atria - these fibre companies have sprung up all over, but they are all from the ashes of the power companies, not private corps.