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www.lawtimesnews.com Page 8 march 17/24, 2008 / Law Times COMMENT Wireless data options abound T hese days, staying respon- sive to client demands typically requires on-the- go internet access. BlackBerrys are great for simple e-mails but not very useful when documents need to be reviewed or edited. Fortunately, a number of prac- tical options for wireless data- access are available. Aside for the growing num- ber of commercial Wi-Fi hot spots (particularly in Starbucks and Second Cup stores), wire- less broadband access is available from all of the Canadian cellular operators. Wireless broadband access should not be confused with the relatively inexpensive but very limited plans for cell- phone browsing (which are typi- cally limited to specific types of usage or web sites). While technically possible, "tethering" a cellphone to a laptop may be prohibited when using such plans and may result in the imposition of very expensive charges unless a proper data plan for personal computers is subscribed to. Rogers, Telus, and Bell all offer various wireless data plans for connecting PCs. There's been a lot of competition in the last few months resulting in the lowering of prices and expan- sion in the amount of included data. Prices generally start at about $60 per month (plus the system access fee of $7 to $9 per month) for anything from about 200 to 5,000 megabytes of data. If you exceed the plan limit or use the device to roam in the U.S., there are additional charg- es that generally range between $1/MB to $50/MB, depending on the carrier. Telus also offers a premium plan, for $100 a month, that includes unlimited data, no-charge U.S. roaming, and free hot-spot access. My personal experience is that I use between 10 and 20 MB of bandwidth per day for normal business (e-mails, instant messages, etc.). So the plan over- age charges and U.S. roaming charges can really add up with- out an all-inclusive plan. Before selecting a carrier, consider where you intend to use the service from. While most of the carriers offer wire- less data service from all the locations they provide cellphone service to, some only offer their highest-speed service from large cities. So if you live in a smaller community or plan to use the service from a cottage, check the each carrier's specific service offering in the desired location. The highest speed service avail- able from Rogers is called High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) and is faster than their Edge or GPRS service. The highest speed service from Telus or Bell is called EV-DO Rev A and is faster than their 1x service. A wireless data card (or USB data modem) will be required unless you are fortunate enough to have a laptop that includes an internal embedded broadband modem. While the price of these wireless modems may be in the $300 range, most operators will provide a discount if a new sub- scriber locks in for one to three years of service. However, note that early ter- mination fees may set you back up to $400. Also, while some operators may offer "unlimited" data plans, it's important to note that "unlimited" may not necessar- ily mean unlimited. The "small print" contained in the terms and conditions usually states that the service is subject to the operator's acceptable use policy, which may provide the opera- tor with a discretion to judge what is reasonable bandwidth and/or may prohibit certain types of uses (streaming, peer- to-peer, voice over IP, or similar applications that consume large amounts of bandwidth). Another less expensive option for wireless data, and one that might be more suitable for shar- ing, is Sympatico Unplugged or Rogers Portable Internet. Both services use the same technol- ogy and infrastructure but are separately marketed by Bell and Rogers. Prices range between $26 and $55 per month, depending on the carrier and features. Note that both Bell and Rogers impose bandwidth caps. The disadvantages over the broadband wireless data options mentioned above are that they require you to carry and plug in a separate bulky modem and the fact that, in my experience at least, the service does not pene- trate inside buildings as well. So if you end up needing to use it from an interior meeting room, you may be out of luck. However, the Sympatico Unplugged or Rogers Portable Internet modems have ethernet interfaces and can be easily con- nected to a wired ethernet hub, or even to a Wi-Fi access point, to facilitate sharing of the con- nection. So they are practical for use as a replacement to a home DSL or cable-modem service and offer the ability to take your home connection with you when required. Alan Gahtan is a Toronto-based technology lawyer. His web site is www.gahtan.com/alan For information on DD Direct Access contact Kim Hines Office & Furniture Products • Corporate Promotional Products Printing & Graphic Services • Law Office Essentials Corporate Supplies • Search & Registration Services your ONE source supplier for eservicedd.ca • Phone: 1-800-668-8208 • Fax: 1-800-667-3146 OFFICE & FURNITURE PRODUCTS W e ' r e a C a n a d i a n C o m p a n y Also available PPSA searches and registrations across Canada. Search & Register electronically with PPSR ACCESS PPSR Access is a Web-based application that enables you to register 1C Financing Statements and 2C Financing Change Statements in Ontario Features of Dye & Durham PPSR ACCESS • Verifications and Search results available immediately. • No Deposit Account required. We will invoice you for both the fees and disbursements bi-monthly. • Create Debtor Notification Letters and request PPSA Post Searches in one step when filing your registration. DD LT RX3RDE-03 S&R ad 3/5/08 1:29 PM Page 1 Bits and Bytes By Alan Gahtan LT traded between Canada and the United States were eliminated under the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement (CUS- FTA) and not NAFTA. Therefore, opting out of the NAFTA would not change (increase) the tariffs on goods traded between Canada and the U.S. The NAFTA agreement contains many improvements over the CUSFTA and the WTO Uruguay Round Agreements. If the U.S. opted out of NAFTA, it would reduce its protections and market access opportunities for its domestic manufacturers, ser- vice providers, and/or investors, under NAFTA's provisions re- lating to technical barriers to trade, sanitary and phyto-sanitary, government procurement, investment, services, financial services, telecommunications, and intellectual property provisions, which extend beyond both Canada and Mexico's WTO obligations. If Clinton and Obama really want to protect U.S. manufac- turers, they could withdraw from the World Trade Organiza- tion, which would allow them to increase tariffs on the import of goods from all WTO members, including Canada, Mexico, Japan, China, India, and others. The only problem with this op- tion is that U.S. manufacturers would face the excessive tariffs that the foreign markets would be able to impose against U.S. manufactured goods. Extreme forms of protectionism are not such a good option. Also, it would be very unfortunate if the U.S. sets a precedent and thereby sends the message to all of its treaty partners that a change in administration in the U.S. (and even a return to the ruling party who promoted, negotiated, signed, and ratified the treaty) would be an acceptable basis for the renegotiation of its international obligations. Cyndee Todgham Cherniak is counsel in the international trade law group at Lang Michener LLP and an adjunct professor at Case West- ern Reserve University School of Law, in Cleveland, Ohio. She teach- es a course on NAFTA and bilateral trading arrangements. Cyndee's articles can be found on her blog www.tradelawyersblog.com. LT Continued from page 7 Opting out of naFta won't change tariffs REPRINTS REPRINTS REPRINTS REPRINTS REPRINTS REPRINTS REPRINTS REPRINTS REPRINTS REPRINTS REPRINTS REPRINTS REPRINTS REPRINTS REPRINTS REPRINTS REPRINTS REPRINTS REPRINTS REPRINTS Been in Law Times? Want a record of it? 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