Internet satisfaction high, but 27% don’t know their data caps: CIRA

Just over a quarter of Canadians surveyed by the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) said they don’t know how much broadband data they have, a concern a CIRA spokeswoman said could be attributed to digital literacy. The Internet Factbook trend report, released Wednesday, notes that 27 per cent of the 1,203 Canadians it surveyed in March don’t know how much data is included in their packages, despite the 85 and 81 per cent who are satisfied with their speed and data amounts, respectively. “This is a digital literacy issue,” Alison Gareau, communications manager at CIRA, said in an email. “If someone doesn’t know their data limit, they can inadvertently go over it, which has economic consequences for them.” But Gareau said CIRA can’t know the answer for sure because the organization did not ask respondents directly about why they don’t know the amount of data they have. She added that not everyone “actively” understands the technology they’re using, meaning they may skip over what is included in their data packages. They know they need the internet, but not necessarily know what they’re getting. She said what’s making this worse is that many Canadians have their internet bundled “into a complicated package” with TV and home phone, making it harder to understand what they’re paying for. “As Canadian internet habits change, with almost everything now available as a ‘connected device’ from toasters to baby monitors, thermostats to light bulbs, people should take care to understand their data usage and package so that they do not go over or so they can upgrade to a larger package if that is an option for them.” The statistic comes against the backdrop of ever-higher levels of data consumption. While overage complaints on broadband haven’t been reported as much as they have for wireless, Canadians have access to unlimited data options for the former. As such, CIRA found that 38 per cent of those surveyed reported having an unlimited package. The study also found that cybersecurity was top-of-mind for Canadians. About 77 per cent are concerned about cyberattacks against organizations that may have access to their personal info, up two percent from last year and 10 per cent the year before. In addition, 81 per cent said they are concerned about the security of their personal info held by a government department if it experiences a cyberattack. It also found that of those who “admitted to accessing pirated material, 70 per cent say they are willing to pay for reasonably priced, readily available copyright-protected film or TV content online.” Gareau said the organization doesn’t report a margin of error for an online panel because it’s not a random sample. However, she said a comparable random sample would put the survey at plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.

Internet satisfaction high, but 27% don’t know their data caps: CIRA

Brief | June 20, 2018

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Internet satisfaction high, but 27% don’t know their data caps: CIRA

Brief | June 20, 2018

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