I will not be posting for the next couple days. I’m going to be taking some time off with family for Passover. Chag sameach.

In the meantime, why don’t you review the agenda for The 2010 Canadian Telecom Summit, which is pretty close to being complete. The event, gathering the leading influencers of Canada’s communications and information technology sector, takes place in just 10 weeks: June 7-9. Look at the program on-line or download the 6-page pdf brochure.

Have you registered yet?

In comments to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage looking at Canada and the New Media, Michael Geist recycled a sound bite about satellite broadband that he must have thought was clever when he first used it as part of his criticism of our report on the state of broadband in Canada (Lagging or Leading).

When asked to comment in response to the issue of the digital divide, Professor Geist seemed to imply that rural Canadians are better off with no broadband than wireless or satellite based service.

I don’t think that satellite works either. I think that anyone who thinks that satellite is an effective alternative should be required to use it. And then we’d see just how effective it is as an alternative.

It came across as cute and helped him get a laugh from some members of the committee. But his testimony was an insult to millions of Canadians who live beyond the footprint of cable, DSL and fibre networks.

More than a million Canadians have two choices – either glacial dial up, or true high-speed satellite-based broadband. Satellite-based broadband is already delivering always-on megabit service and investments are in place for high throughput next generation satellites to be launched next year.

There is no other technology that can provide a broadband experience to virtually every home in Canada – and do it today.

In relation to Professor Geist’s comment, there are millions of Canadians who are required to use satellite, use dial-up or wait decades for a wireline alternative. The hundreds of thousands of Canadians who already rely on satellite service have determined that satellite is an effective alternative.

On Tuesday, I wrote about Canada’s Digital Compass, a crowd-source website launched by PricewaterhouseCoopers to solicit a broader perspective on questions and ideas to guide the development of a national digital strategy.

The first week’s call asks for ideas about technology focus: What technological innovation or technology focus could earn Canada the role as global leader? As of the time of writing this, 8 submissions have been made (including a particularly insightful one proposing a focus on solving the rural and remote divide. Necessity being the mother and all that…).

So far, only 18 users have actually registered, and many of them are associated with the building or operation of the website. Hardly a crowd. What is inhibiting participation? Is the requirement to register and obtain a user ID in order to join the discussion acting as an inhibitor?

Log-in. Join the discussion.

The 2010 Canadian Telecom Summit will feature panels looking at International Perspectives on ICT Strategies and progress on the development of Canada’s National Digital strategy. Think of the event as a live crowd-sourcing festival. This year’s event opens just 10 weeks from Monday.

Have you registered yet?

Yesterday, Rogers announced an updated policy for people who tether their mobile device to a computer, generally preserving their promotional rates.

Tethering allows you to connect a computer to the Internet, usually using the computer interface cable that connects a smartphone (such as a BlackBerry or iPhone) for synchronization purposes. Computers typically use a lot more data when connected to the Internet than smartphones do, so many mobile carriers have restrictions on the use of mobile devices in tethered modes.

Under the new policy, customers who have a 1GB or greater mobile data plan can use their mobile device as an oversized data-stick at no additional charge. 

Just last week, my residential internet was knocked off the air and my Blackberry was pressed into service as a broadband modem. Frankly, you would want to have at least a 1G plan before letting your PC do its virus definition updates, back-up services and downloading of email attachments.

Blackberry’s Desktop Manager made it very easy. Do you really need a mobile data stick?

The same day that the CRTC issued its new private TV policy, Ipsos reported that for the first time, weekly internet usage in Canada overtook TV viewing.

But all is not as it seems. If you look carefully at the Ipsos release (that is – look past the headline), you realize that their study was from the Ipsos Online panel. In other words, for people who are already on-line enough that they don’t mind doing on-line surveys, these people now spend more time in front of the computer than they do in front of the TV.

Or at least they say they do.

While Ipsos claims that the sample is representative, their weightings are done to match demographics, not necessarily representative viewership. If you look beyond the headline, Ipsos carefully tried to couch their language:

the weekly Internet usage of online Canadians has moved ahead of the number of hours spent watching television.

Ipsos didn’t say “the weekly Internet usage of Canadians has moved ahead…”; the statement referred to “online Canadians”. Be sure to read the fine print. The general news media and many other commentators didn’t bother.