NCF DSL Rate Changes

NCF will be making some adjustments to our pricing, starting on May 1, 2016 and you will notice the change in your next billing period that starts on or after May 1st. On balance, some members will end up paying a bit more, some a bit less.

Background

NCF first offered high-speed DSL in 2005, starting with the 6mbps service. In the following 11 years, we have only increased the line price once, from $29.95 to $30.95, which reflected a jump in costs from our wholesale suppliers.

We have offered faster speeds through our Fibre to the Node (FTTN) services since 2013, and those prices have also remained constant.

In the last few years, we have experienced a dramatic growth in usage. This is a good thing: it means members are using the internet for a wide range of activities. But it comes with a corresponding increase in capacity costs.

Starting in January of this year, we also faced a net increase in line costs from our supplier and many of our other costs are also increasing.

We are pleased we have been able to hold line costs stable for members for so long in the face of higher prices in every other area of life: from eggs to clothing to monthly utilities to housing.

We do everything we can to bring you great value and we will continue to make this effort but in order to remain viable, we must pass on some of our increased costs to members.

Speed Plans

To accommodate higher capacity users, we are adding the option to get unlimited usage.

We are also increasing every member's basic usage up to 350 GB (up from 300 GiB or approximately 322 GB). We are switching from GiBs to GBs because GBs is a more commonly understood term.
We will continue to not count usage between 2am to noon.

We will also now offer a 10mbps speed line as an option. There are some members who can't get 15mbps speeds in their neighbourhood, but can get 10mbps. It's also ideal for those who need a line that's faster than 6mbps or 7mbps but don't need to jump all the way to 15mbps.

Unless you're changing your usage to unlimited, you don't need to do anything. The changes will take place automatically after May 1st and will be reflected on your invoice and on the Your DSL Account link off your NCF Start Page. '

To upgrade to unlimited usage, please email support@ncf.ca or call our HelpDesk at 613-721-1773 ext. 0.

Overages in the 350 GBs plan will be charged $5.00 for each additional 25GB block to a maximum of four blocks, or $20 per month.

Dry line

We also note that almost half of NCF's membership is paying monthly dry line fees on top of their monthly line cost.

We have been passing along Bell's tiered cost for dry line but starting on May 1st, we will offer a flat rate of $7.00/month + HST for dry line fees.

This is a savings from 25 cents up to $9.20 a month, depending on your current dry line band.

To find out what dry line band you're in now, check your DSL Usage page and look at the end of the top line or you can email support@ncf.ca or call 613-721-1773 ext. 0.

Installation

We have been absorbing the installation costs of the 6mbps service since we first offered it, and will now begin charging a one-time $49.95 installation costs on all lines to help recoup some of our installation costs. Those installation costs are applicable only for speed changes or moves.

What you need to do

Unless you are switching to an unlimited plan, you do not need to do anything for these changes to take effect. They will happen automatically after May 1, 2016 and will be reflected on your invoice and on the Your DSL Account link linked from your NCF Start Page.

Thank you for supporting community internet in the National Capital Region. We will continue to work to keep costs as low as possible, while offering high-quality DSL and additional community services like workshops, local email services, web hosting, dial-up, and advocacy work to help bridge the digital divide.

If these changes don't meet with your approval you may choose to cancel your service at any time. Though we’ll be sad to see you go!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

When will the new rates come into effect?

The planned effective date is May 1, 2016. You will notice the change in your next billing period that starts on or after May 1st.

Why are your rates changing now?

They've not changed for years. Bandwidth usage has gone up a lot and just keeps increasing. And, as with every other product that you buy or service that you use, costs have gone up. We have been holding prices for a very long time but we need to raise them to keep up with costs.

In addition, it is not simply a rate change, the revised plans offers some additional flexibility:

• depending on your network usage you can take advantage of our new unlimited usage tier
• everyone staying with the current 300 GiB plan will see their usage limits increased by an additional 25 GB per month to 350 GB
• dry line costs are decreasing for all members

Will I see a difference in the amount of my monthly bill?

Absolutely. Depending on your speed, usage and if you use a dry line, billed amounts may be higher or lower.

When can I make a change to my usage in the same speed band?

You can request a change at any time by emailing support@ncf.ca or calling the HelpDesk at 613-721-1773 ext. 0 and the change will take effect at the start of your next billing period.

Do I need to do anything to accept the change?

Unless you're changing your usage to unlimited, you don't need to do anything. The changes will take place automatically after May 1st and will be reflected on your invoice and on the Your DSL Account link off your NCF Start Page.

As there a charge if I decide to switch into the unlimited usage plan, or want to switch in the future from unlimited usage back to 350GBs?

No – you can switch usage plans for free.

Does NCF still offer a free-use period?

We do! Any usage between 2am and noon does not count towards the 350GBs usage limit.

What happens if I go over my usage limit?

• Internet usage is one of the most expensive parts of providing your Internet access. NCF will be charging for all usage over your plan limit.
• NCF will send out a notification of usage when you reach 75% of your usage limit and again at 90% of your usage limit. Your billing dates will be included to help you better understand and adjust. You can also always look up your usage at the NCF Start Page by clicking the Your recent DSL use link on the top left.
• If you exceed the usage limit, you will be billed at the current rate ($5 per 25GB) up to a maximum of $20.

Are your rates for small businesses and non-profits changing too?

No. Our organizational DSL rates can be found at Registration#DSL Pricing for Organizational Accounts.

Are modem prices also changing?

No. We occasionally change the kinds of modems we offer and as such, these prices change more frequently than line costs. The prices of our current modems are staying the same.

Will rates for dry lines be affected?

Yes – most certainly. Our dry line rates are being reduced to $7.00/month for all members, regardless of your band. This is a saving between 25 cents and $9.20, depending on your band. You can look up what band you are in by logging into the www.ncf.ca NCF Start Page and clicking the Your DSL Account link.

I used to get 300GiBs of usage, now I will be getting 350 GBs. What is the difference between GiB and GB?

One GiB is 1024³ bytes, about 1.07 billion bytes. One GB is 1000³ bytes or 1 billion bytes. There is a difference of approximately 7%, so 300GiB is approximately 322 GBs. We are switching from GiBs because GBs is a more commonly understood term. We are also increasing every member's basic usage to 350 GB (up from 300 GiB or approximately 322 GB).

I have more questions, how can I get them answered?

Feel free to contact our HelpDesk or our Executive Director. You can also call our HelpDesk at 613-721-1773 ext. 0.

en francais

Bonjour aux abonnés du service DSL de Libertel de la Capitale nationale.   J’espère que vous vous portez bien.   Merci d’avoir choisi Libertel. Nous sommes le seul fournisseur de services Internet à haute vitesse au Canada dont les activités sont sans but lucratif. La collaboration est ce qui fait notre force.   Je tiens à vous informer de modifications aux tarifs de Libertel qui entreront en vigueur le 1er mai 2016. Les changements s’appliqueront à compter de la période de facturation commençant le 1er mai ou après. Certains membres paieront légèrement plus, et d’autres, légèrement moins.

En 2005, Libertel a commencé à offrir le service DSL à une vitesse de 6 Mbps. Onze années se sont écoulées et nous avons augmenté le prix une seule fois, soit de 29,95 $ à 30,95 $, afin de refléter l’augmentation du coût d’achat auprès de notre fournisseur de services de gros.

Depuis 2013, nous offrons un service plus rapide grâce au système de fibre jusqu’au nœud. Le prix de ce service n’a également pas augmenté.   Depuis quelques années, nous connaissons une énorme augmentation de l’utilisation de bande passante. Il s’agit d’une bonne nouvelle, puisque cela signifie que nos membres utilisent pleinement les ressources d’Internet. Mais cela se traduit par une augmentation de nos coûts.   En janvier 2016, notre fournisseur a augmenté le coût de nos lignes Internet. Nous subissons également des augmentations de coûts à plusieurs autres chapitres.

Nous sommes fiers d’avoir été en mesure de contrôler le coût du service Internet pour nos membres pendant plusieurs années, en dépit de l’inflation qui touche tous les aspects de notre vie — des œufs aux vêtements, en passant par les services publics et les frais de logement.

Nous déployons de grands efforts pour vous offrir un rapport qualité-prix exceptionnel. Nous continuerons à le faire. Mais pour que Libertel demeure viable, nous devons augmenter certains tarifs.   

Coût de la connexion

  Je vous envoie un graphique indiquant les prix actuels et les prix qui entreront en vigueur le 1er mai 2016.   Nous offrons désormais l’option du service illimité, ce qui sera avantageux pour les clients qui utilisent beaucoup de bande passante.

Nous haussons également le seuil d’utilisation pour tous les membres à 350 Go. Le seuil était auparavant de 300 Gio, soit l’équivalent d’environ 322 Go. La période de 2 h à midi demeurera exclue du calcul de la bande passante utilisée.   De plus, vous pourrez désormais obtenir un service d’une vitesse de 10 Mbps. Il est disponible dans certains quartiers où le service 15 Mbps n’est pas offert. Il s’agit aussi d’une excellente option pour les usagers qui souhaitent naviguer plus rapidement qu’à 6 ou 7 Mbps, mais qui ne souhaitent pas faire le saut à 15 Mbps.

 

Pour obtenir le service illimité à compter du 1er mai, envoyez un courriel à l’adresse support@ncf.ca ou communiquez avec le service technique au 613-721-1773, poste 0.   Les frais d’utilisation excédentaire pour les abonnés au service 350 Go s’établiront à 5 $ par tranche supplémentaire de 25 Go. Le maximum sera fixé à quatre tranches supplémentaires, soit 20 $ par mois.  

Ligne sèche

  Près de la moitié des membres de Libertel paient des frais mensuels pour leur ligne sèche, en plus du coût de leur forfait.   Présentement, les abonnés paient le coût progressif fixé par Bell pour leur ligne sèche. À compter du 1er mai, un tarif unique de 7 $ par mois (en sus de la TVH) sera en vigueur pour toutes les lignes sèches.   Cela représente des économies variant entre 0,25 $ et 9,20 $ par mois, selon le type de service que vous recevez actuellement.  

     

 
                      Pour déterminer quel type de ligne sèche vous utilisez, ouvrez une session à partir de la page d’accueil www.ncf.ca et cliquez sur « Your DSL Account » dans le coin supérieur gauche de la page. Vous pouvez également envoyer un courriel à support@ncf.ca ou composer le 613-721-1773, poste 0.  

Frais d’installation

  Nous absorbons le coût d’installation du service 6 Mbps depuis les débuts. Des frais d’installation uniques de 49,95 $ seront désormais exigés pour toutes les lignes, afin de nous permettre de couvrir une partie des coûts.   À venir   Merci d’appuyer le service Internet communautaire dans la région de la capitale nationale. Nous continuerons à exercer un contrôle rigoureux des coûts, tout en offrant un service DSL de qualité et des services complémentaires, dont des ateliers, un service de courriel, l’hébergement de sites Web et un accès à Internet par ligne commutée. Nous poursuivrons également nos efforts en vue de combler le fossé numérique.   Si vous n’acceptez pas ces modifications, vous pouvez annuler votre service en tout temps. Toutefois, nous serions tristes que vous nous quittiez!   Vous pouvez obtenir ces renseignements sur notre site Web. Vous y trouverez également une foire aux questions plus détaillée : https://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/wiki/NCF_DSL_Rate_Changes   Si vous avez des questions, veuillez envoyer un courriel à l’adresse support@ncf.ca ou composer le 613-721-1773, poste 0.   Enfin, si vous avez d’autres préoccupations, vous pouvez communiquer avec moi directement : shelley@ncf.ca.

Au plaisir,

Shelley