http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/inside-politics-blog/2012/02/paying-for-our-own-surveillance.html
There's no way of knowing how much Bill C-30, colloquially known as the online snooping bill, will cost taxpayers, or boost monthly home internet and phone fees.
For the internet service providers, the toll it will take on their bottom line could be significant, because of the investment in equipment needed to allow real-time interceptions of online conversations or for preserving huge amounts of data.
"Even for my own small business, I think it would be tens of thousands of dollars. One of the things that jumped out at me (in the bill) is that the minster 'may' compensate us, not 'should' or 'will,' but 'may,'" says Tom Copeland, president of eagle.ca, a small internet provider with 3,500 customers.
Copeland says that ISPs won't be able to estimate the costs until the regulations for bill C-30 are written, possibly as long as a year away.
The costs could be huge, says Christopher Parsons, an internet writer and blogger, who's written about lawful access in the U.S. He says the U.S. Congress set aside $500 million dollars to compensate ISPs and mobile providers for equipping their networks with real-time surveillance capability. But was years ago, he says, and the upgrades aren't complete yet; the industry there is ballparking between $1.3 to $1.7 billion as the true cost.
There's no way of knowing how much Bill C-30, colloquially known as the online snooping bill, will cost taxpayers, or boost monthly home internet and phone fees.
For the internet service providers, the toll it will take on their bottom line could be significant, because of the investment in equipment needed to allow real-time interceptions of online conversations or for preserving huge amounts of data.
"Even for my own small business, I think it would be tens of thousands of dollars. One of the things that jumped out at me (in the bill) is that the minster 'may' compensate us, not 'should' or 'will,' but 'may,'" says Tom Copeland, president of eagle.ca, a small internet provider with 3,500 customers.
Copeland says that ISPs won't be able to estimate the costs until the regulations for bill C-30 are written, possibly as long as a year away.
The costs could be huge, says Christopher Parsons, an internet writer and blogger, who's written about lawful access in the U.S. He says the U.S. Congress set aside $500 million dollars to compensate ISPs and mobile providers for equipping their networks with real-time surveillance capability. But was years ago, he says, and the upgrades aren't complete yet; the industry there is ballparking between $1.3 to $1.7 billion as the true cost.
