NCF DSL Rate Changes

DSL Rate Changes

NCF will be making some adjustments to our pricing, starting on May 1, 2016. You will notice the change in your billing cycle after May 1st. On balance, some members will end up paying a bit more, some a bit less.

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're pleased we've 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 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 www.ncf.ca 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.

Moving forward

Unless you are switching to an unlimited plan, you don't need to do anything for these changes to take effect. They will happen automatically after May 1st and will be reflected on your invoice and on the Your DSL Account link off your www.ncf.ca 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.

NCF has never offered contracts so if you disagree with this change, you're free to cancel your service. Though we'd hate to see you go!

For additional Frequently Asked Questions, please read through the FAQs below

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about the changes to NCF pricing

1) When will the new rates come into effect?
The planned effective date is May 1, 2016 and they will be reflect on the first invoice of your billing cycle after May 1st.

2) 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's 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

3) 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.

4) 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.

5) 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 www.ncf.ca Start Page.

6) Is 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.

7) Does NCF still offer a free-use period?
We do! Any usage between 2am and noon does not count towards the 350GBs usage limit.

8) 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 www.ncf.ca Start Page by clicking the Your DSL Account link 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.

9) Are your rates for small businesses and non-profits changing too?
No. Our organizational DSL rates can be found [here].

10) 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.

11) 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're in by logging into the www.ncf.ca Start Page and clicking the Your DSL Account link.

12) 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 1024**3 bytes, about 1.07 billion bytes. One GB is 1000**3 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.

13) I have more questions, how can I get them answered?
Feel free to email our HelpDesk at support@ncf.ca or our Executive Director at shelley@ncf.ca. Or call our HelpDesk at 613-721-1773 ext. 0