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Regulating Access Prices
The heart of regulation is regulating access prices. It is the key to new entrant business models. The previous section warned of regulatory over-reach on mandating access services because not all inputs are essential, bottle-neck input services so making them available will deter new investment. This section alerts regulators to how access pricing can shape competition.
The final column of Table 4.1 provides a mapping between the access products discussed in the previous section and the approaches to pricing them which are discussed in this section. The first two columns come from Table 1.2 defining markets suitable for ex-ante regulation in the EU.
Benchmarking is a pricing methodology that can (and has) been used for every service and is probably the most practical method for small developing countries.
In developed countries fundamental changes in the approach to access pricing are taking place with the transition to all digital networks. Developing countries have the opportunity to leap-frog legacy pricing approaches as the networks being built now are digital.
This section explores the following topics:
- Policy Issues
- Key Concepts
- Pricing Interconnection
- Pricing Unbundled Access
- Pricing Infrastructure Sharing
- Pricing Resale
Table 4.1: Access Products and Pricing Options
2.4.1 Policy Issues
Mandating access usually * Regulators can mandated access without committing to regulate the price too. New Zealand distinguishes between 'specified services' where the Commerce Commission cannot determine the 'price payable' and 'designated services' where it issues pricing determinations. Some countries leave it to the parties concerned to negotiate 'fair and reasonable' prices. means that access prices have to be regulated too: the owner of the essential facility cannot use its market power to control supply because open access is mandated and regulated access pricing stops it using its market power to control the price.
In trying to support competitive processes, regulated access pricing seeks to achieve three forms of economic efficiency:
- Allocative efficiency requires that resources, products, and services are allocated to the person or persons who value them the most. For this to happen, consumers of final products or services (such telephone calls to other customers) should pay prices that reflect the cost of the resources used to provide those products or services
- Productive efficiency requires that market participants use scarce resources as productively as possible. This means that the most efficient provider should not be precluded from serving customers, and
- Dynamic efficiency requires that all firms (entrants and incumbents) should have proper incentives to invest in technologies that reduce costs and/or expand product offerings.
It is unlikely that these can be achieved simultaneously. More importance has been given to dynamic efficiency as the policy focus has shifted from accommodating legacy issues associated with opening access to copper networks to encouraging investment in fibre networks.
In addition, there are social objectives. Historically, many incumbent operators have maintained high prices for long distance and international services, and used the proceeds to support below-cost prices for basic services. This was made possible by statutory monopoly and allowed the wide-spread adoption of affordable telephone service. However, with the introduction of competition for calls these cross-subsidies became unsustainable. Competitive pressures eroded long distance and international prices and regulated low prices for basic service became unsustainable.
Box 4.1: Geographic Cross Subsidy
Source: ACCC Final Decision on Fixed Services, July 2011 and Telstra's FTTN Briefing, 7 August 2006
Policy makers generally like uniform pricing; a social objective that conflicts with economic efficiency objectives. In Australia, Telstra argued that the ACCC was a 'rogue regulator' because it de-averaged unbundled local loop (ULL) prices across four regional types. Other access products like line sharing (LSS), wholesale line rental (WLR) and local calls are not de-averaged. This means that entrants can opt to use these instead of ULL in remote areas.
The presence of different access products reduces the ability to extract cross-subsidies.
When Telstra sought to build a metro-only FTTN, it was agreed that the access price for the new bitstream service should include a contribution to support telephony services to 1 million rural and remote customers. But the gap between the $1.77 per month offered by the ACCC and the $13.69 per month sought by Telstra was too big and the FTTN plan was dropped.
Among the policy challenges in moving to digital networks,
- the relative prices of wholesale services may affect the transition from copper to fibre and consistency among them is essential. Take-up of fibre access has been slow where it has to compete with copper access services which have low regulated prices
- off-setting the above, as users move off copper to fibre, cable and mobile services the unit costs of copper and consequently access prices increase; which raises affordability concerns got the users left on copper
- the migration to IP Interconnection raises transitional issues and there is no consensus yet on how to price digital interconnection
Fibre presents a new challenge for policy. Operators are facing potentially significant investment costs to upgrade existing infrastructure to keep up with technological change. However, revenues for new broadband services are uncertain and existing revenue streams are threatened by 'over-the-top' services. The most certain source of revenue is retail access pricing – and that is threatened by open access and increasingly capable mobile broadband.
Box 4.2: Asymmetric Risk Example
Suppose an operator is considering whether to build a FTTH access network in a particular region. Revenues are uncertain. If demand is strong, the network could generate profits of $10m a year but if there is a lack of demand there will be annual losses of $8m. If these cases are considered equally likely, the expected profit is $1m and the investment will be made – if the operator has a monopoly.
If, however, the network is successful and a new entrant gets access and takes 40 per cent of the market, the profits to our investor could be cut from $10m to $6m a year. The expected return is now minus $1m a year – the investment is not profitable with open access. That is, the risk of open access can make a profitable and socially desirable investment unprofitable and it will not proceed.
Private operators have been slow or reluctant to invest in broadband. In the USA, the FCC broke the impasse by forbearing to regulate broadband access * The FCC decided to forbear from unbundling and price regulation of FTTH in August 2003, extended this to FTTN in October 2004 and also DSL in September 2005. and the German and Australian incumbents unsuccessfully sought 'access holidays' long enough to get a return on their prospective investments * Initially, the Federal Network Agency in Germany supported Deutsche Telekom but under pressure from the EU it made an order in September 2010 subjecting VDSL (FTTN) , FTTH lines and Ethernet-based bitstream access to regulation. In Australia, Telstra sought concessions from the Australian government in 2005 ahead of building an FTTN network but these were refused so it chose to invest instead in unregulated HFC and mobile broadband networks.
The problem with 'access holidays' is that it gives the incumbent too much of a 'first-mover' advantage. That leaves the problem of how to set an access price for fibre networks that satisfies a number of objectives simultaneously:
- It must provide a return on large investments
- It must ensure that broadband access remains affordable to end users
- It must provide affordable open access for wholesale customers
- It must not foreclose investment (eg FTTH extensions to FTTN)
- It must satisfy government social equity objectives (eg USO and uniform pricing)
Pricing for copper networks appeared to discourage investment in fibre access networks leading some regulators to seek new models for pricing interconnection .
Reference Documents
- ACCC, Final Access Determination for Fixed Line Services, July 2011
- European Commission: Public Consultation on Costing Methodologies for Key Wholesale Access Prices in Electronic Communications, October 2011
2.4.2 Key Concepts
Broadly, the key concepts in the regulator's access pricing tool kit are:
- Cost oriented prices - as required by the WTO Reference Paper can be developed from bottom-up or top-down cost models or from benchmarking rates in similar countries who have used cost models.
- Cost models - bottom-up costing for LRIC (long-run incremental costs) where a firm prices in such a way as to cover only the incremental costs of the product (ie the product's LRIC), sales of that product make no contribution to the firm's common costs. There are many variations around this but it is sufficient to consider LRIC to understand the issues and principles * LRIC is closely related to TELRIC (total element long-run incremental cost) and TSLRIC+ (total service long-run incremental) which is LRIC cost plus an appropriate mark up for the recovery of common costs..
- Regulatory accounting - top-down costing associated with FDC (fully distributed costs) where all costs, including joint and common costs, are fully allocated to all the operator's services/products according to a specified distribution/allocation key. The costs of a given service/product are composed of direct volume-sensitive costs, direct fixed costs and a share of joint and common costs.
- Benchmarking – compares access prices across a peer group of countries to determine what price would be reasonable.
- ECPR – the efficient component pricing rule which is closely related to 'retail minus avoided retail costs'. ECPR is cost-based because it includes 'opportunity cost' * Australian regulation excludes ECPR from principles that maybe considered for access pricing to stop the incumbent from maintain profitability from access products; except in the case of retail-minus pricing of resold access services..
- BAK - Bill and Keep has been around for mobile termination in countries with 'receiving party pays' (eg USA) and seems related to 'peering' in internet traffic exchange.
- GB – Volume based charging. This is a possible alternative access pricing to address changes in the industry that BAK cannot address.
Related technical concepts:
- DAC (depreciated actual cost) – based on historic cost accounting (HCA). Some regulators also require current cost accounting (CCA) in which assets are re-valued at replacement cost; which may then require further adjustment to 'mean equivalent assets'
- DORC (depreciated optimised replacement cost) – takes accumulated depreciation from ORC calculated for TSLRIC
- SAC (stand-alone-cost) – the sum of the incremental cost of the product, plus all the costs which are common between that product and other products. The stand-alone cost is therefore higher than long-run incremental cost (LRIC).
- WACC (weighted average cost of capital) – derived from the capital asset pricing model and used to set the return to capital.
184.108.40.206 Cost Based Prices
Regulated pricing is needed where an unconstrained provider of an essential facility could exploit its position to charge well above cost. Regulation is a proxy for competition which tends to drive prices towards cost. But cost is a flexible concept.
The WTO Reference Paper requires "cost-oriented rates that are transparent, reasonable, having regard to economic feasibility". This leaves a wide degree of flexibility in how to define and measure cost-oriented prices * A survey in June 2010 that found national telecoms regulators apply divergent costing approaches when setting cost-oriented wholesale access prices. The EU Commission's Directorate General Information Society and Media received 60 submissions on its consultation on costing methodologies opened in October 2011 and published its final report "Costing methodologies and Incentives to Invest in Fibre' (prepared for it by Charles Rivers and Associates (CRA) in July 2012 (See Reference Documents). Ofcom called for inputs on costing and regulatory financial reporting in November 2011 with a preliminary report financial reporting published on 6 September 2012 and a separate consultation on cost orientation to follow later.. How it is interpreted in practice is a combination of national guidelines and case law.
The two main options are the Bottom-Up and Top-Down costing approaches. Some regulators use a hybrid of these by taking account of actually incurred costs adjusted for efficiency. The two broad options are compared below.
Both costing approaches are demanding for a small, developing country with limited resources. A cheaper alternative is benchmarking.
Bearing in mind that the object of pricing regulation is to produce what be expected in competitive markets, contestable market theory suggests outcomes will lie between a range with the ceiling defined by stand-alone cost and a floor defined by long-run incremental cost.
Practice Notes
Reference Documents
- Directorate General Information Society and Media 2012 Costing methodologies and incentives to invest in fibre. Final Report.
- European Commission: Public Consultation on Costing Methodologies for Key Wholesale Access Prices in Electronic Communications, October 2011
- UK: Ofcom, Review of cost orientation and regulatory financial reporting in telecoms, Nov 2011
- World Trade Organization - Reference Paper
126.96.36.199 Cost Models
Bottom-up cost models are favoured by many regulators because they reduce reliance on information provided by the incumbent; a necessary feature of top-down models, even when the accounting framework is specified by the regulator.
Bottom-up models for fibre access are appropriate because they are new. Assuming fibre networks are built in an efficient manner, operators can be fully compensated for their construction at today's prices.
The bottom-up approach develops the cost model on the basis of the expected demand in terms of subscribers and traffic and sets the network design and estimates the related costs on the basis of a network engineering model. Bottom-up modelling has the following steps:
Step 1: Define the services to be modelled (for example local access services). This step includes gathering data on the number and location of customers in the geographic area under consideration
Step 2: Determine the design of the network — what facilities are required to provide the service, and where should they be located?
Designing the network to be modelled requires the regulator to make choices about how much optimization to include in the modelled network:
- The scorched earth approach represents one extreme. It assumes that nothing is fixed, not even the location of the nodes. The scorched earth network is what an entrant would build if no network existed, based on the location of customers and forecasts of demand for services.
- The scorched node approach assumes that the location of network nodes is fixed where they currently exist, and the operator can choose the best technology to configure the network around these nodes.
Step 3: Determine the amount of each type of equipment needed to construct the network
Step 4: Estimate the costs of each element. For each type of equipment multiply the amount required by its unit prices to arrive at the total investment cost. (TSLRIC models usually use current, best-in-market costs)
Step 5: Annualise the total investment cost for each network element. This amount equals depreciation costs and cost of capital for the firm in question
Step 6: Estimate opex. Operations and maintenance costs and non-network costs include direct out-of-pocket operating expenses associated with the investment and indirect expenses, such as corporate overheads
Step 7: Estimate total costs for each network element by adding the annual (monthly) amounts calculated in Steps 5 and 6
Step 8: Unitise costs by dividing the total costs of each network element by the relevant cost-driver, to arrive at unit costs. For example, use the number of lines to derive the unit costs for subscriber loops, or the number of minutes to derive unit switching costs.
In the long term all costs are considered to be variable because the production capacity is not a constraint (as it is the case in the short term). Therefore long run incremental costs include capital and the volume-sensitive costs resulting from a substantial change in production.
Some regulators have become disenchanted with bottom-up costing models because they essentially rebuild the network from scratch each time the access price is reviewed and each time the models and their many assumptions are contested. As Ofcom puts it: "This (TSLRIC+) approach is suitable to current generation access networks as they are legacy networks with low demand side risk and substantial sunk costs that have already generated a return on the initial investment. ..This approach may be less appropriate for next generation access networks. So far, these networks are characterised by high uncertainty about consumer demand and willingness to pay, with limited clarity on the applications and services they will deliver. In this situation, investors in a free market would seek higher returns from their investment to compensate for the higher degree of risk." [Ofcom, 2007, paras 5.2 and 5.3]
This is why the Australian regulator shifted from bottom-up modelling to a top-down 'building block' approach in 2011.
Box 4.3: Australia's Building Block Method
Source: Final Access Determination (FAD) for Fixed Services., ACCC, July 2011
The ACCC has shifted from its previous pricing methodologies (TSLRIC+ and RMRAC) to a new building block model (BBM) pricing methodology.
The new BBM method is simple – once the opening value of the Regulated Asset Base (RAB) is established. The method takes the asset base for each class of asset (eg 'ducts and pipes') subtracts depreciation and adds investment. The cost of capital, depreciation, operating expenses and tax liabilities are then added together to determine the revenue requirement.
The ACCC believes that there is no uniquely correct value for the initial value of the RAB – but says that it must lie in the range bounded by the depreciated historic value of Telstra's investment in network assets (that is, depreciated actual cost or DAC) and the depreciated optimised replacement cost (DORC) where the ORC value must be depreciated to reflect the age of Telstra's actual assets.
DAC is a top-down method drawing on management reports and DORC uses bottom-up cost modelling once to calculate ORC and then makes an adjustment for accumulated depreciation. The result is then rolled forward year by year using actual investment and depreciation.
Bottom-up costing is still the preferred method in many jurisdictions (eg the EU).
Practice Notes
Reference Documents
- ACCC, Final Access Determination for Fixed Line Services, July 2011
- Bahrain: Development, implementation and use of bottom-up fixed and mobile network cost models, October 2011
- Jordan -- Instructions on Adoption of Long Run Incremental Cost Methods and Interconnection Rate Structure
- Nigeria -- Determination of Interconnection Rate
- Saudi Arabia -- LRIC Model Guidelines for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- UK Ofcom, Future Broadband – Policy Approach to Next Generation Access, September 2007
188.8.131.52 Regulatory Accounting
Top-down modelling attempts to measure LRIC starting from the firm's actual costs as set out in its accounts * BT's published regulatory financial statements are currently fairly detailed, with the main document stretching to 130 pages, accompanied by a further six published documents, totalling well over 1,000 pages. Ofcom has asked if anyone finds these accounts useful [Ofcom, Nov 2011].. This method does not involve detailed network modelling. Instead, a top-down model separates the firm's assets and costs into service groups, and then adds the extra costs associated with interconnection to arrive at an estimate of LRIC.
This usually involves the following five steps:
Step 1: Identify the firm's services and separate out interconnection services
Step 2: Identify and separate all costs and assets in the firm's accounts
Step 3: Allocate all directly attributable costs. If a cost item or asset is attributable to only one service, allocate it to that service
Step 4: Allocate shared and common costs across services using allocation rules. Allocation is essentially arbitrary. Possible allocation techniques include:
(1) Combinatorial tests - consider whether the prices for different combinations of products lie between the LRIC and SAC of those combinations. Where all the different combinations satisfy this test, there is no over-recovery of common costs. Depending upon the size of the product portfolio of the firm, and the types of common costs, the number of combinatorial tests could be impracticably high.
(2) Fully allocated cost - As FAC involves allocating all the firm's common costs across all products, the costs for individual products would normally be above LRIC and below SAC. However, the FAC approach allows no flexibility in terms of pricing; common costs are allocated according to a formula (eg number of lines or minutes).
Step 5: Calculate LRIC for each service by adding up the costs allocated to that services, including an appropriate return on those assets allocated to the service.
Top-down modelling uses the firm's current operating costs and either historic cost accounting (HCA, which HCA reflects the cost at the time of purchasing the asset) or current cost accounting (CCA, where network assets are valued at replacement costs). Normally regulators would be expected to use either HCA or CCA and not mix the two approaches. In practice, some regulators recognize that those assets which cannot be economically replaced (such as for example ducts) must not necessarily be valued at their full replacement costs.
Box 4.4: Imputation Reports - Australia
Source: Accounting separation of Telstra: Imputation testing and non-price terms and conditions report for the June Quarter 2011, ACCC, October 2011
In Australia, the regulator's accounting separation report finds that for all services except local call services, the costs of transformation are at least twice as large as the access costs. This means that whether an access seeker can successfully compete with Telstra in the supply of these services is more likely dependent on its own efficiency as well as service quality and differentiation rather than the access price charged by Telstra.
Practice Notes
Reference Documents
- Australia: ACCC, Accounting separation of Telstra: Imputation testing and non-price terms and conditions report for the June Quarter 2011, October 2011
- European Union: BEREC report on regulatory accounting practice in 2010
- UK: Competition Appeals Tribunal, British Telecommunications Plc v Office of Communications (Partial Private Circuits), 14 December 2009
- UK: Ofcom, Review of cost orientation and regulatory financial reporting in telecoms, Nov 2011
184.108.40.206 Benchmarking
Both bottom-up and top-down cost models are complex to develop and lead to uncertain outcomes. In some markets the detailed information required may not be available. Even where regulators can apply the same cost model for the same access product, divergences in implementation can lead to large divergences in price * For example, in Europe the price for unbundled local loop ranges from 5.21 €/moth in Lithuania to 12.41 €/month in Ireland [EU Questionnaire, October 2011].
A more practical alternative to developing cost models for a developing country with limited resources is benchmarking. Regulators in many jurisdictions have used benchmarking to set initial interconnection rates. For example Botswana used benchmarking to resolve an interconnection dispute quickly * .
Benchmarking has two main purposes in interconnection pricing. In situations where detailed cost models can be estimated, benchmarking can be used as a common sense check on the results of the modelling. Alternatively, benchmarking can be used directly to set interconnection prices.
In a benchmarking exercise, adjustments need to be made for differences among jurisdictions, for example population density, local area size, extent of urbanisation, traffic patterns and call durations, input prices, scale economies, exchange rates and taxes.
Practice Notes
- Benchmarking: Adjusting for Exchange Rates
- Botswana: Interconnection Dispute Resolution
- Final Offer Arbitration [1]
Reference Documents
- European Commission: Public Consultation on Costing Methodologies for Key Wholesale Access Prices in Electronic Communications, October 2011
- Namibia: Interconnection Benchmarking Study, Final Public Report
- New Zealand: Benchmarking Telecom's Unbundled Partial Circuits Service, September 2004
2.4.3 Pricing Interconnection
With the exception of countries using 'receiving party network pays' (RPNP) for calls to mobile networks, in the switched interconnection context the main basis for pricing originating and terminating access has been some form of LRIC; determined from bottom-up or top-down cost models (or benchmarking countries that do either or both).
The exception (RPNP) uses Bill and Keep (BAK) where the calling party's network retains whatever revenue it raises through retail usage charges. This is the system used for mobile networks in the USA. One advantage of a bill and keep policy is that it can be adopted quickly without the need to employ a cost analysis.
Except for RPNP, pricing interconnection becomes problematic in an IP environment because many parties can be involved in handling any packet. BAK looks very similar to internet peering, so it has been suggested that pricing IP interconnection will converge on BAK. This makes BAK look attractive except for mobile operators in countries with 'calling party network pays' because they have enjoyed high termination rates.
BAK is the IP Interconnection model favoured in Europe (BEREC, June 2010) because:
- Costs are falling with the transition to NGN networks so the difference between switched and IP interconnection rates is getting smaller. In mobiles, this convergence is being helped along by regulation and market forces * Regulators allowed high mobile termination rates initially to stimulate competition for fixed networks and to promote mobile penetration. But regulators are now driving-down mobile termination rates towards LRIC to promote mobile competition: high termination rates combined with 'on-net' calls cheaper than calls to other networks disadvantages smaller operators..
- BAK reduces regulatory cost and uncertainty. Also moving cost recovery from termination, which is a regulated market, to competitive retail markets increases incentives for cost minimization.
- Assuming usual plausible cost and utility distribution and bearing in mind their uncertainty, BAK is likely to internalize call and network externalities better than CPNP.
- BAK is expected to lead to higher average usage per capita and a lower average price per minute. BAK decreases the marginal costs of traffic and the cost risk related to flat-rate offers that drive higher usage. Higher usage in combination with the large scale effects (economies of scale present in fixed and mobile networks) create lower costs per minute and so BAK feeds a positive feedback loop of higher usage and lower prices.
However, there are a couple of problems with BAK. First, it does not address the leakage of revenues that comes from the de-layering of the industry. BAK assumes there is some reciprocity: 'You can keep revenues from your customers and so shall I'. But, 'over-the-top' service providers like Skype get to BAK without having a network and making no direct contribution to any networks its customers use. Indirectly, Skype's customers pay their respective network provider for data traffic they generate using Skype services. Such leakage could increase the risks of investing in broadband networks.
Second, while vertically-integrated network operators can BAK retail customers with managed IP voice and SMS services enabling them to maintain a premium over services delivered over 'best-efforts' internet (like Skype), the options for wholesale-only network operators are more limited. The options are discussed in the next section.
Practice Notes
Reference Documents
- European Commission: Public Consultation on Costing Methodologies for Key Wholesale Access Prices in Electronic Communications, October 2011
- European Union: BEREC, Next Generation Networks Future Charging Mechanisms / Long Term Termination Issues, June 2010
- Kenya -- Review of Implementation of the Interconnection Determination No. 1 of 2007
- Tanzania -- Determination on Review of Telecommunication Network Interconnection Rates in the United Republic of Tanzania, Issued in 2007
- World Trade Organization - Reference Paper
2.4.4 Pricing Unbundled Access
Regulating unbundled access has traditionally been done in the context of fixed copper networks and priced to some form of LRIC. Models have been used to calculate the LRIC costs of unbundled local loop, line sharing and transmission (both access tails and transmission links).
The approach to pricing access on fibre networks is still evolving to deal with both the different kinds of access products required (eg bitstream access and sub-loop) and the different level of risk associated compared with copper networks. Mindful of the need to encourage investment in fibre networks, the FCC chose to forbear from mandating access while Ofcom mandates bitstream access but forbears from regulating the access price * Ofcom has set standards for the virtual unbundled local access (VULA) service but chooses not to regulate prices in emerging markets and believes that prices will be constrained by legacy products..
At the same time as adjusting for risk, the relativity between access prices for copper networks and fibre networks has to be managed as this will affect the transition to fibre networks. And, the price relativity between different kinds of access products on each access platform will affect investment choices.
With FTTN, there is no analogue replacement access product for unbundled local loop. Two choices may be offered: bitstream access (much like line-sharing) or sub-loop unbundling at the node (street cabinet; combined with a back-haul access product). In practice, only bitstream will be used as the addressable customer market at the node is too small to make a business case for unbundling at that level.
With FTTH, unless it is a PTP network (which would allow dark fibre), the access product will be wholesale bitstream access (WBA). There are four components to the price in the FTTH network being built in Australia (Figure 4.1) where the critical link between the end customer and the POI is split between the individual fibre to the end customer (AVC, priced by speed and QOS to the end customer) and the aggregation link (CVC) dimensioned by the wholesale customer to handle its AVCs.
Figure 4.1: Bitstream Access in Australia
Source: NBN Co. Product and Pricing Overview for Access Seekers, Dec 2010
This model is the same * In the CRTC's regulated 5410 access service, GAS and AHSSPI (aggregated high speed service provider interface) correspond to NBN Co.'s AVC and CVC tariffs. as in Canada which has mandated two pricing options (Box 4.5). The other option is flat-rate. Flat rate is like copper based access pricing (eg ULL and LSS) but it does not take account of the growth in data traffic. The problem with flat-rate pricing is that it puts the onus on the access provider to increases the capacity of the network to handle extra traffic without a proportionate contribution towards the cost of doing that.
Box 4.5: Canada
Sources: CRTC Telecom Regulatory Policy CRTC 2011-703 [15 Nov 2011] http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/com100/2011/r111115.htm
In Canada in 2000, the CRTC, permitted cable carriers to introduce usage caps and/or usage-based billing (UBB) charges for their wholesale services if UBB was also applied for their retail customers. Later, this option was extended to telephone companies offering broadband access.
On 25 January 2011 (Decision 2011-44), the Commission set the UBB rates at retail minus 15 percent. But the concession was not enough for many independent ISPs which together account for just 6 percent of the residential retail market - they were hoping for the CRTC to grant them a 50% discount.
The January decision ignited a consumer backlash and a wave of public scorn hit Ottawa ahead of the May federal election, quickly turning into a hot-button issue for a minority Conservative government and opposition parties alike. Also Netflix Inc. expressed serious concerns about its future in Canada - "[usage-based billing] is something we're definitely worried about," (Reed Hastings, chief executive of Netflix). On Feb. 3 2011, the federal Cabinet advised the CRTC that if it did not review the decision and come back with a new one, it would be reversed.
The revised model that the CRTC finally produced on 15 November 2011 offers two options. First, for companies that proposed a usage-based model, their tariffs have to be based on the approved capacity model, effective 1 February 2012. For companies that proposed a flat rate model, their tariffs were approved effective immediately.
The capacity model requires ISPs to choose what bandwidth of pipe it wants in order to carry traffic between aggregation points (eg street cabinets) and the handover point. This is similar to the wholesale model proposed or the new broadband network in Australia. If ISPs do not order enough capacity, their traffic will become congested without affecting other ISPs.
This should appease content providers like Netflix but there is no incentive for ISPs to buy bigger pipes to accommodate traffic for which they little or nothing?
An obvious neutral solution is volume based charging: exactly what the CRTC blocked * At the wholesale level, volume based charging should apply to the total wholesale customers traffic; perhaps on an area basis but certainly not per end customer as Bell Canada wanted to do. That is the prerogative of the retail provider; which may choose to use monthly data caps instead of a simple volume tariff.. The days when customers enjoyed unlimited downloads on broadband may be numbered. Twenty OECD countries currently have no data caps at all among their broadband offers (OECD, 2011). But things are changing. One of the twenty is the USA where AT&T slapped 150GB and 250GB data caps on its broadband DSL and U-Verse customers. Ultimately at the wholesale level, a monthly fixed fee for each access line plus a charge per GB for total volume downloaded across those lines may become a best practice option.
Another reason for moving in this direction is that both mobile and fixed broadband networks have had content and carriage effectively unbundled by the de-layering of the industry brought about by digitising networks. The network operators' responses and the regulator's role in this development are discussed in Section 5.
Reference Documents
- ACCC, Final Access Determination for Fixed Line Services, July 2011
- Australia: NBN Co. Product and Pricing Overview for Access Seekers, Dec 2010
- European Commission: Commission Recommendation on regulated access to Next Generation Access Networks, 2009
- European Regulators Group: -- Report on ERG Best Practices on Regulatory Regimes in Wholesale Unbundled Access and Bitstream Access
- Netherlands: The business case for fibre-based access in the Netherlands, December 2008
- OECD, Communications Outlook, 2011
- UK: Models for efficient and effective public-sector interventions in next-generation broadband access networks
- United Kingdon: Analysys-Mason report on the costs of deploying fibre-based next-generation broadband infrastructure, September 2008
2.4.5 Pricing Infrastructure Sharing
There is a general consensus that infrastructure sharing should be based on cost-oriented pricing and open access models. Countries have differed, however, on the approach taken to establishing costs.
The EU considers infrastructure sharing to be just another example of unbundling. It says access to existing civil engineering infrastructure of a regulated operator on Market 4 (wholesale network infrastructure access) should be priced with the same methodology used for pricing access to the unbundled local copper loop taking into account actual lifetimes of the relevant infrastructure. The same method applies to new (fibre) infrastructure except that a higher risk premium * Risk factors identified by the European Commission are (i) uncertainty relating to retail and wholesale demand; (ii) uncertainty relating to the costs of deployment, civil engineering works and managerial execution; (iii) uncertainty relating to technological progress; (iv) uncertainty relating to market dynamics and the evolving competitive situation, such as the degree of infrastructure-based and/or cable competition; and (v) macroeconomic uncertainty. These change over time and are lower for FTTN networks than FTTH networks. may be allowed in the return to capital (WACC).
The New Zealand regulator accepted the advice of the industry that it was not required to regulate access pricing for mobile co-location * In New Zealand mobile co-location is not a 'designated service' but a 'specified service' so that the Commerce Commission does not have the power to determine prices. And, in Australia duct access is a 'declared service' but the ACCC has never had to arbitrate an access price..
Reference Documents
- Botswana: Guidelines on Sharing Communications Infrastructure, January 2010
- European Commission: Commission Recommendation on regulated access to Next Generation Access Networks, 2009
- New Zealand -- Standard Terms Determination for the specified service Co-location on cellular mobile transmission sites
2.4.6 Pricing Resale
The generally accepted price rule for resold services, Pa, is 'retail minus avoided retail costs' (RMAC). Under this rule, the price paid by resellers is equal to the providing firm's retail price of the service, Pr, less its cost of retailing functions, Cr, avoided with resale:
Pa = Pr – Cr
RMAC is equivalent to the Efficient Component Pricing Rule (ECPR) also known as the Baumol-Willig access pricing rule which says that the marginal costs of access include not only the direct costs, Ca, but also the 'opportunity costs'. That is the access price, Pa, should be:
Pa = Ca + (Pr – Ca – Cr )
So long as the reseller's own retail costs are less than Cr, it can compete with the incumbent.
Although DSL is not a 'declared' (ie regulated) access service in Australia (because entrants can build and resell their own DSL services based on ULL or LSS), the incumbent has volunteered * There is strong ULL and LSS based competition for DSL services in urban areas. In other areas it is uneconomic for entrants to deploy DSLAMs to use ULL and LSS. Before, investing in non-urban areas Telstra extracted a promise from the Minister for Communications that DSL would not be regulated (although Telstra still resold these services at commercial, undisclosed rates). to resell its ADSL services in all areas at RMAC (Box 4.6).
Box 4.6: Telstra's ADSL2+ prices
In Australia, unbundled loop pricing is regulated but resold ADSL services are not regulated. As part of the negotiations around the National Broadband Network (NBN), the incumbent agreed to resell ADSL2+ services set equal to Telstra's retail price minus its avoidable retail cost.
The Retail Price input is based on the weighted average price over all plans, including when supplied as part of a bundle. Avoidable retail costs sourced from Telstra's internal management accounts include the costs that Telstra would avoid if, instead of supplying its retail ADSL services through retail channels, it supplied those services through the wholesale channel. Some examples of such costs are retail sales and marketing costs and call centre costs. Zone 1 includes 90 per cent of fixed lines.
National Average Retail Price for ADSL Pr = $56
– Short Run Marginal Avoidable Retail Cost Cr = $15
– Fixed Avoidable Retail Cost Allocated to Zone 1 Cr = $10
Equals ADSL2+ Wholesale Reference Price (Zone 1) Pa = $31
Even if an entrant is not as efficient in retail as Telstra, it may choose to resell Telstra's ADSL services to build market presence ahead of the roll-out of the NBN.
A guide to Telstra's price-related interim equivalence and transparency obligations, 5 September 2011 http://www.accc.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/1003999 and
Accounting separation of Telstra: Imputation testing and non-price terms and conditions report for the June Quarter 2011, October 2011 http://www.accc.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/670198
In New Zealand, the unbundled bitstream access (UBA) service was made available as a regulated product before ULL was made available. UBA has been regulated at RMAC.
Not all competitors are interested in using resale as their retail market strategy. If they use, say, unbundled local loop to provide both voice and broadband services there could be some inconsistency with resold local services.
An issue with RMAC is that comparisons between retail services and wholesale services are complicated because retail business units do not necessarily use the same cost elements, in the same quantities, in the same geographic areas and for the same end-users as wholesale customers.


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- Home
- Eurosurveillance
- Previous Issues
- Volume 19, Issue 35, 04/Sep/2014
Eurosurveillance - Volume 19, Issue 35, 04 September 2014
Volume 19, Issue 35, 2014
- Rapid communications
High incidence of Plasmodium vivax malaria in newly arrived Eritrean refugees in Sweden since May 2014
Since May 2014, an increase in Plasmodium vivax malaria has been observed in Sweden. As of 31 August 2014, 105 malaria cases have been reported in newly arrived Eritrean refugees, 84 of them P. vivax. The patients were mainly young men and reported migration through Ethiopia and/or Sudan. Severe anaemia and long symptom duration reflect inadequate healthcare during migration. Countries currently hosting Eritrean refugees need to consider P. vivax malaria in this group of migrants.
- Top
- Research articles
Association between temperature, humidity and ebolavirus disease outbreaks in Africa, 1976 to 2014S Ng and B J Cowling
Ebolavirus disease (EVD) outbreaks have been occurring sporadically in Central Africa since 1976. In 2014, the first outbreak in West Africa was reported in Guinea. Subsequent outbreaks then appeared in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. The study of environmental factors underlying EVD epidemiology may provide useful insights into when and where EVD outbreaks are more likely to occur. In this paper, we aimed to investigate the association between climatic factors and onset of EVD outbreaks in humans. Our results suggest lower temperature and higher absolute humidity are associated with EVD outbreak onset in the previous EVD outbreaks in Africa during 1976 to 2014. Potential mechanisms through which climate may have an influence on ebolavirus infection in the natural host, intermediate hosts and humans are discussed. Current and future surveillance efforts should be supported to further understand ebolavirus transmission events between and within species.
Measles virus spread initiated at international mass gatherings in Europe, 2011
Three parallel transmission chains of measles virus (MV) variant 'D8-Villupuram' (D8-V) originated from two coinciding international mass gathering (MG) events in Rimini, Italy, in June 2011. MV D8-V was independently introduced into Germany by two unvaccinated persons, and into Slovenia by one unvaccinated person who had attended these events. Secondary spread of D8-V was restricted to two generations of transmission in Slovenia as well as in Germany where the virus was further disseminated at another MG. Serological and epidemiological investigation of the D8-V-associated German and Slovenian cases revealed different antibody responses and age distributions. Primary infected young persons between 11 and 27 years-old were affected in Germany, whereas the group of Slovenian cases comprised adults aged from 28 to 47 years and a high proportion (9/14; 64%) of patients with secondary vaccine failure (SVF). Our study demonstrates that monitoring of MV transmission chains in an international context and adequate serological investigation of cases with remote vaccination can contribute to identify susceptibility gaps. .
Is it reasonable to abandon obligatory vaccinations in Italy? A 2013 survey
In Italy, infant vaccinations are mandatory for four infectious diseases: diphtheria, polio, tetanus and hepatitis B. In the past, there was widespread apprehension in Italy that doing away with obligatory vaccinations would reduce the coverage rate, but the possibility of making vaccinations optional has recently become more popular. The objectives of this study were to investigate parental willingness to vaccinate their children if those vaccinations were no longer mandatory and to evaluate the variables influencing this intention. We conducted face-to-face structured interviews with 1,039 parents at public health vaccination centres in four cities of the Campania region of southern Italy. Most respondents (91.9%) said that they would certainly (69.4%) or probably (22.5%) vaccinate their children if vaccinations were not mandatory. The belief that vaccinations are effective and safe was positively associated with willingness to vaccinate their children, whereas having heard that autism is a possible adverse reaction to vaccination was inversely associated with willingness to vaccinate. Nevertheless, in the context of the relatively low 2012* vaccination coverage rates in Campania (under the national standard of 95%), our results suggest that eliminating mandatory vaccinations is likely to lead to current coverage rates decreasing to unacceptably low levels, significantly below 90%.
- Top
- Miscellaneous
Volumes & issues
Volume 25 (2020)
Volume 24 (2019)
Volume 23 (2018)
Volume 22 (2017)
Volume 21 (2016)
Volume 20 (2015)
Volume 19 (2014)
Volume 18 (2013)
Volume 17 (2012)
Volume 16 (2011)
Volume 15 (2010)
Volume 14 (2009)
Volume 13 (2008)
Volume 12 (2007)
Volume 11 (2006)
Volume 10 (2005)
Volume 9 (2004)
Volume 8 (2003)
Volume 7 (2002)
Volume 6 (2001)
Volume 5 (2000)
Volume 4 (1999)
Volume 3 (1998)
Volume 2 (1997)
Volume 1 (1996)
Volume 0 (1995)


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Blood pressure is often used to gauge a person's fitness and general health.
But what is blood pressure and how do those two little numbers act as a 'thermostat for health'? More importantly, how can we ensure that our blood pressure remains at a healthy level?
What are blood pressure readings?
Like most liquids in a confined space, blood exerts pressure on the walls of the blood vessels that it travels through. Blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart are arteries. Blood vessels that carry blood back to the heart are veins.
Blood pressure is measured in millimetres of mercury (mm Hg) and refers to arterial pressure, usually measured in the upper arm. As most of us are familiar with, the reading comes as two figures, for example – 140/90 mm Hg, or 140 over 90.
The first number is always the higher number, and refers to the pressure within the arteries when the hearts contracts (beats), pumping blood out to the body. This is known as the systolic pressure.
The second, lower number signifies the pressure when the heart is temporarily at rest, in between beats. This is called the diastolic pressure. Blood leaving the heart pumps harder and faster than blood returning to the heart – for this reason, the systolic number is always higher.
A normal, healthy blood pressure reading is around 120/80 mm Hg. Consistent readings of 140/85 mm Hg or higher are considered 'high blood pressure', otherwise known as 'hypertension'.
The good news is, if you do suffer from high blood pressure, there are some effective and simple ways that you can help to reduce it. However, you may still need prescription medicines as well.
How to reduce blood pressure: 5 simple tips
1. Regular exercise
You don't need to run a marathon every week; just make sure you do enough exercise to get your heart beating faster. Breaking into a sweat is a good indicator that you're doing it right.
Walking, swimming, cycling or even dancing for 10 minutes a day are good ways to keep your cardiovascular system ticking over.
Bear in mind that you should not take up a new exercise regime without first consulting your doctor – this is especially the case if you are over 45.
2. Lose weight
Obesity can seriously increase your risk of high blood pressure. Taking regular exercise and eating a balanced diet is the best way to lose excess weight.
A good way to determine if you are overweight is to calculate your body mass index (BMI). This looks at your weight, depending on what height you are. The healthy range for an adult is 18.5 to 24.9. A person with a score of more than 25 is considered to be overweight.
3. Cut down on alcohol
Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol on a regular basis can raise blood pressure. Recommended daily limits are three to four units for men, and two to three units for women.
It is recommended that people take a rest from drinking for, at the very least, two days in the week in order for the body to recover.
Alcohol also contains many hidden calories that can contribute to weight gain.
4. Eat less salt
Adults are advised to eat no more than 6g of salt a day.
Too much salt prompts the body to retain fluid. Too much fluid can increase blood pressure.
Many foods contain added salt, so it can be difficult to measure how much you are consuming each day.
Foods high in salt include:
- Processed meat such as bacon or ham
- Cheese
- Pickles
- Gravy and stock
- Soy sauce
- Olives
- Pasta sauces
- Cereals
- Crisps
5. Reduce stress levels
Stressful situations can temporarily raise your blood pressure.
The link between stress and long-term hypertension is still not clear. Stress can contribute to a number of bad lifestyle choices such as eating poorly, drinking too much and smoking.
Try to reduce your stress levels by recognising the situations that cause stress and anxiety. Once this is done, it will be easier to employ stress-busting techniques. These include:
- Breathing exercises
- Meditation
- Yoga
Trying to change your outlook when faced with stressful situations also helps. A positive frame of mind can work wonders. See your GP or an experienced counsellor for help and advice.
And lastly, get plenty of sleep. Sleep deprivation can alter your mood and make a difficult situation seem much worse.
For more information on keeping your heart healthy, click the button below.


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How to Choose a Surgeon
Finding the right doctor is the most important first step towards a rewarding LASIK experience. It is crucial that your doctor is conscientious and makes you feel comfortable.
Ensure your doctor has the appropriate credentials, especially with regards to corneal and LASIK training. An eye surgeon who is a corneal specialist is advantageous. A corneal specialist will have a lot of experience working on the cornea. This experience is very important in instances of surgical complications.
Ask your doctor about his years of experience with LASIK surgery, how many cases he has performed and his experience with complications. Be wary of doctors who claim they have never encountered complications. This is usually a sign of inexperience.
Method of Practice
Ensure that the doctor who performs your pre-LASIK eye exam is the one who performs your surgery and post-LASIK follow-up.
Your doctor should answer all your questions clearly and pay attention to you and your individual needs.


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Sweet Dreams of Paris
14 March 2013
Spring is coming...Anna Griffin style
Is everyone ready for spring? I love this beautiful time a year, the flowers are blooming, the birds are chirping and the butterflies are visiting my garden. I love to create pretty little pockets of tags to give away to my sweet friends. It is also fun to tuck in little packets of seeds, for them to plant in their garden. A little gift card to Starbucks tucked in is always a big hit too.
I fussy cut these beautiful flowers from Anna Griffin paper and stamped the rest of these images.
21 May 2012
She*Art Graphic 45 style
I love all of the inspirational She*Art that is becoming so popular. It's so wonderful to see people expressing their creativity, and really letting their imaginations run wild, with some positive words to go along with it. I decided to try my hand at this trend using one of my favorite paper companies, Graphic 45, and true to their wonderful vintage style my little lady is sporting her very own flapper dress. This was really fun to create, I started out basic, but I can't wait to make a few more pieces and get more elaborate as I go along!
15 April 2012
Spring mini album
08 April 2012
Happy Easter! Graphic 45 Once Upon a Springtime
I couldn't resist making a fun little banner to accent the title.
I cut some eggs out of various pattern paper and placed them in the grass I also cut. I put pop dots on the flower border and embellished them with liquid pearls. Then I added the cute little bunny and the birdie to go along with the springtime fun.
23 February 2012
Tropical Travelogue mini album
Mini albums are incredibly popular, so leave it to Graphic 45 to come up with this completely adorable Metal Film Canister with an accordian album inside.
I love how this album stretches out. I decided to use the gorgeous Tropical Travelogue papers and just 4 pieces of the album to stretch across the mantle of my fireplace. It's like a mini vacation every time I see it!
I love the beautiful palm leaves, they are so real looking, like actually being in a beautiful, lush tropical garden. I added a few Petaloo velvet hydrangeas. Graphic 45 and Petaloo have been teaming up a lot lately and the two together coordinate perfectly.
04 January 2012
Happy New Year! Graphic 45 Tropical Travelogue
I made this creativity journal to write down all my crafty ideas and to sketch project inspirations for 2012! I love the new Tropical Travelogue collection from Graphic 45, it is full of the most beautiful shades of turqouise and corals and lush greens! Happy crafting to you all in this New Year! I hope you are filled with inspiration all around and find lots of joy in your crafting adventures!
12 December 2011
Echo Park Holly Jolly mini-album
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Quite often churches are in a transition of change or growth and don't know it. We think increased attendance and new members are the only 'tell-tell' sign. It isn't. Its not so much 'what it looks like' but more so 'what it sounds like'.
Complaints signal something needs to change or is changing. Many times, its voiced when one loses the attention or control they once enjoyed. People who grumble may not be complaining for this reason but may want a solution to their issue but don't know how to arrive at it. Complaints indicate dissatisfaction. If that dissatisfaction expressed is for improvement, then its good,..just may not be expressed the best way. When the visible signs of growth show in your church, expect to hear complaints. Just as the human body feels the ache from growth, church members will 'ache' because growth causes changes in routine, where classes meet, where they sit, priority decreases to them while another group receives more.
Recognizing this and speaking to it with people helps them understand better the motive behind grievance and the need to be patient and flexible in working out the fix. Its a matter of communicating & managing the growth/change.
Any example to share?


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Motto To-Love-Ru – Remember The LolisPosted by DKellis in first impressions, toloveru, tags: what was i doing again
I'm well aware of the fact that To-Love-Ru is essentially a fanservice show, with little more excuse than to show cute girls in various states of undress. This is pretty much why I'm watching it in the first place, albeit only partly so: I am far more interested in the costumes, so my attraction to this sort of anime is more about cute girls in various states of dress.
Except I watched a bit of the first episode and realized that I might be getting a little too saturated with data: it has been so long since the first season that I have no idea who most of these people are.
Which is an odd complaint for a show like this: one can summarize the general plotline of an episode in a few brief sentences. The girls lose their clothes in some way. The male lead gets a good eyeful, nosebleeds. The male lead gets beaten up. Repeat, while adding in a few bits of Wacky Alien Hijinks.
But I doubt people watch this show for the plot, as much as for the characters, or at least the girls. And when I can't remember most of the female characters, not for want of trying, I begin to appreciate the little recaps some anime do at the beginning of every new season.
I can kind of remember the main female lead, the pink-haired alien girl with the very interesting outfit I kind of want to know how to design. I can remember the male lead's little sister. I can remember the Normal Girl the male lead has a crush on, and I admit she looks just as cute as I remember. I can remember some alien guy who turns into a girl or something, and I can also remember how the show (and the manga) tended to keep him in girl form for the fanservice.
Most of all I remember the blonde girl who keeps reminding me of Fate Testarossa from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, and who is apparently also some sort of intergalactic assassin, although in Fate's case this only started after she grew up, and they don't call it that in the Nanoha-verse anyway. But names, names, all elude me, and with it comes a desire to refresh my memory by watching the first season again.
Not that I have any objections per se, but I kind of have to work on a blog post, and the last time I went on a memory-refresher binge I lost track of three days. The irony is immediately obvious.


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How We Are Funded and Supported
Comhairle na nÓg is funded by a number of agencies.
The Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA) Comhairle na nÓg Development Fund provides money to local authorities to run effective Comhairle na nÓg. Local authorities also provide funding and resources for Comhairle na nÓg, as well as other organisations at local level.
Steering Committees
Comhairle na nÓg Steering Committees have become a cornerstone of the support required for an effective Comhairle na nÓg. Steering Committee members typically include a local authority representative, the Comhairle na nÓg Coordinator, local youth service representatives, the VEC Youth Officer and other local stakeholders, who can support the help the Comhairle na nÓg achieve their desired outcomes, impact and change. Additional members of the Steering Committee are drawn from organisations and bodies that are relevant to the topics being pursued by young people in a particular year.
Participation Team
The Department also funds the services of three regional Participation Officers – Martin Donohoe (Senior Participation Officer), Edel McGrath and Suzanne Byrne – who provide advice, resources and training to all 31 Comhairle na nÓg Coordinators. The Department also funds a Participation Coordinator, Karyn Farrell, who is the dedicated support worker for the National Executive. She also is responsible for organising all monthly meetings of the National Executive, the Young People's Networking Events, additional consultations with young people, and is part of the coordination team for the national events each year, i.e. Dail na nÓg and the Showcase Event, among others. The Comhairle na nÓg Coordinator is the key organiser of Comhairle na nÓg. He or she is supported by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs Participation Officers, local colleagues and members of the Steering Committee.


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In commonwealth countries, parliamentary speakers play a crucial role. In order to ensure the orderly flow of business, the national assembly observes parliamentary rules, procedures and traditions, both written and unwritten.
It is the Speaker's duty to interpret these rules IMPARTIALLY , to remain NEUTRAL in government and opposition debates, to maintain ORDER, and to DEFEND the rights and privileges of Members, including the right to FREEDOM OF SPEECH.
In order to preserve the trust of the House, the Speaker's must uphold the sanctity of the national assembly; and his actions and utterances must be impartial.
Consequently, the Speaker never participates in debate nor allow the use unparliamentary language on the floor of the house. The Speaker may only vote in case of a tie during division. The speaker works to balance the right of the Government to transact business in an orderly manner and the right of all Members to be heard in debate.
It all seems civil and clear cut until you happen to tune to Kenya parliamentary live debates! Yup. The curse that is the Jubilee tyranny of numbers.
Kenyans do not seem to be shocked to have received news reports of Speaker Justin Muturi shouting down Kibra Member of Parliament Hon. Kenneth Okoth during live parliamentary debate yesterday: "This is not Kibera!" As if to assert the Speaker's unfortunate comment, the Majority Leader Hon Aden Duale finished it off by yelling "it is not Kibera and we are not selling fish!"
Welcome to the land of Jubilee dominated parliament, where the insanity of ethnic innuendos, insults and tribal imputations are in abundance! Mind you, it is not the first time Speaker has used these offensive words in parliament while supressing the rights of the Honourable Member of Kibra. He has made it a habit. Instead of leading parliamentary debate towards legislating ways to help citizens improve their lives and attain better levels of development; Speaker Muturi is leading parliament to lowering its own prestige in the eyes of the public and propagating anti-Luo garbage. Instead of enforcing rules, Speaker violates them! Can Kenyans expect quality legislation?
The implication here is that parliament is not Kibera slums (where the honourable member was born and bred, and represents in parliament). The speaker's derogatory remarks are aimed straight at Kibra voters where he assumes the majority of residents are from the Luo ethnic community whose common delicacy is fish, and according to Duale where parliament is not a fish market. Reminds us of Amos Kimunya of the past.
The Speaker not only violated parliamentary custom and standing orders, but also unwittingly let out an extremely dangerous inflammatory statement on the floor of the house which was only made worse by the majority leader. These are the silly stereotypes against poor communities more often promoted in political circles that majority Luos inhabiting Kibera slums are generally idle/lazy, drunk/drugged, diseased/unhealthy and violent/criminal slum-dwellers. Nothing could be further from the truth. All communities of Kenya live in Kibera and all communities of Kenya do sell and eat fish. So much for ignorance and silly stereotyping!
On a personal level, knowing who Hon. Kenneth Okoth is even before he became MP, this is a young man who has achieved a lot and given back so much to his community. It will be impossible for either Muturi or Dualle to achieve half of what the MP has attained.
In developed democracies, Speaker Muturi's utterances are enough reason to demand a resignation. But in Kenya, he will be defended by people who wont see anything wrong with his reckless talk. They would tell you Muturi is doing a great job leading an institution promoting a common national heritage!
But WHAT IF it was Raila who shouted at Ngunjiri, "this is not Majengo (Nyeri slums), and Ababu sums it "and we don't treat jigger infestations here!"? Jibu hiyo…


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Sunday, March 1, 2009
Mid Atlantic Quilt Festival
Chloe.."Where's Mama?" Razzy.." She went to the Quilt Show. You know how
dorky she is about fabric." Chloe.." Do you think she's gonna buy more fabric
to stash away in bunnyville?" Razzy.." Dumb question..."
What a fun weekend! First, I did a surprise visit to the nieces and
nephew. I got to their house on Thursday night and woke them up for school
the next day. It's so nice to be "the best surprise ever!" Makes my heart melt.
Laura, Noelle, Jonathan and me (with a bad hair day).
So the two older kiddo's, had to go to school, and I got to drive them. Fun. My little magical sprite, Noelle, got to go to the quilt festival. Of course, I heard all about it today when I was leaving that Noelle, got 3 days with me and the others only got two. Wow... to be so popular!
Anywho... we went to the festival and as always I was taken back by so much talent. I'm always amazed and always come home inspired. Here are a few of the quilts. I'll share more soon.
This quilt won first place. I loooooove the cutwork, the exquisite
quilting and the tone on tone. This was an incredible piece! Well deserving of
a first place ribbon. (not sure why my picture is turned, but don't have time
to mess with it.)
I loved this piece because of the shape and the magic of it. The lady,
the trees, the castle. My photo is kinda crappy because it was up high and
well... I'm short. dag!
Ok this was totally cool. It's a gorgeous gown made of burlap!
Yes!!! Burlap!!
Noelle wanted me to take her picture in front of her
favorite quilt that was filled with fairies. Of course she is one
herself (notice her gold shoes) so it was only fitting. (kisses my little sprite)
This was actually my favorite quilt at the show. I love French Cottage,
I love texture and simple colors. This quilt was cream and black with Toile fabrics.
The mariner's compass designs were spectacular as was the incredible quilting. This piece really spoke to me.
Check out that quilting!!! Gorgeous!
This piece combined my love of piecing and applique.
I think it is just stunning and the border is truly incredible.
Look at all those leaves quilted in and check out the
fancy boarder with the beautiful stitching.
Well, that's it for now. I'll have some more to share soon.
Have a great week and check back with me on Wednesday.
Bunny hugs!
This week IGF safe travels, beautiful quilts and kids that think I'm fabulous!
18 comments:
- Susan said...
Great pics...neat that you could take pics...I have gone to shows where they would not allow it...
Susan *dutchrose*
- Sun Mar 01, 09:40:00 PM 2009
- Patricia said...
Oh my, what treasures you saw! and the quilts were nice too (just kidding, well - not really). That cutwork is gorgeous and the one with all the leaves and the embroidered edging - wow! Glad you had a great weekend and are home safe and sound. Have a great week dear friend,
Patricia Rose-A Potpourri of Fabric, Fragrance and Findings
- Sun Mar 01, 10:36:00 PM 2009
- Unknown said...
Shell, Aren't we lucky that you took your camera and you're right they are gorgeous... both the kids and the quilts! I want to go next year. Looks like it was a magically wonderful three days! Pink Hugs, Tedi
- Mon Mar 02, 12:36:00 AM 2009
- Carolee Crafts said...
Thank you for sharing your trip to the quilt show, love the fairy quilt best, I have thing for all things fairy land. You have been a bit quiet about how much fabric you bought! I have to restrain myself at a show, otherwise I would need a forklift truck to get the buys into the car, lol!
- Mon Mar 02, 02:06:00 AM 2009
- ♥zoe♥ said...
Oh i love those beautiful quilts so much exspecially the gaun! Your pictures are very fine not as crappy as u thought thanks for sharing love to come by again:)
- Mon Mar 02, 08:18:00 AM 2009
- Susie said...
Wow Shell! Those quilts are spectacular. Your nieces and nephew are no fools...time spent with you is special...just ask me!
Pink hugs,
Susie of The Polka Dot Rose
PS: Get much new fabrics?
- Mon Mar 02, 09:35:00 AM 2009
- Carolyn Kocman said...
omg, shell....those are totally amazing quilts and to be honest, i don't know if i have a favorite amongst them. each pic i looked at, i would think...yes...this is my favorite. then the next thing you know, the next pic i would do the same thing. so...next time around....you need to take your dw friend too...ME!
- Mon Mar 02, 10:35:00 AM 2009
- gail said...
Hi Shell, it was a beautiful show! I love the photos. I am amazed at the talented quilt artist out there. Thanks for sharing their work. Your neices and nephew are adorable. I know they were so happy to spend time with you!!!
Happy creating.. gail
- Mon Mar 02, 11:23:00 AM 2009
- Cottage Flair said...
Sounds like a fantastic time with the kids. What a nice surprise. Quilts always amaze me with their beauty and intricate work. Great pics.
- Mon Mar 02, 01:45:00 PM 2009
- kath@retromantic antiques said...
I love seeing your bunnies. They always make me smile. Such amazing quilts! Thanks for sharing. kath
- Mon Mar 02, 02:29:00 PM 2009
- Shabby Shan said...
Sounds like you had a blast! Beautiful quilts and time with the nieces and nephew, what more could a person ask for? Thanks for sharing!
- Mon Mar 02, 02:48:00 PM 2009
I'm so glad you showed us some of the quilts. I was planning to go to the show but I got sick instead. Bummer! The quilts are beautiful, and you also do beautiful work. Everything I've seen of yours is beautiful The kids are gorgeous and so are your Bunnies!
- Mon Mar 02, 05:28:00 PM 2009
- Noelle Garrett Designs said...
Hi Shell,
How fun was that! Spending time with nieces and nephews is the best. I am lucky to have 6 of them. The pictures are wonderful! I love the burlap dress. Wow! Oh seeing those pictures makes me wish I could have been there too. Thanks for sharing and have a lovely week!
- Mon Mar 02, 05:51:00 PM 2009
- KatCollects said...
Love the picture of you and your nieces and nephew, very special.
- Mon Mar 02, 08:27:00 PM 2009
- Miniature Patisserie Chef said...
Hi Shell!
What beautiful photos you've taken from the Quilt Show. Love those quilts! And thanks for sharing the photo of your nephew, nieces. I didn't think you had a bad hair day!
Have a great week!
Pei Li
- Mon Mar 02, 09:28:00 PM 2009
- Rose Petals & Blooms said...
AAAACK!!! I'm squealing for the Burlap dress! It's stunning, and really captures my attention! What a wonderful day for you and Noelle. Your nieces and nephew are adorable!
Apparently you've never really had a "bad hair day" if you think you've got one in that photo!!! Maybe you just need glasses! lol.. Your hair looks darling to me!
Thanks so much for stopping by Shell, I really enjoyed your comment! I'm so happy to hear you're enjoying the tussie too! I sure did have fun making them!
"The other Shell"
- Mon Mar 02, 10:31:00 PM 2009
- Dawn-Hydrangea Home said...
Hey Michelle! Your nieces and nephew are adorable. The quilt show looked amazing. I love that burlap dress! You are so funny, so you had to go and order the macarons. Let me know when you get them! I still have a few left! I think they're calling me!
- Tue Mar 03, 09:38:00 AM 2009
shell, thanks for sharing all those wonderful pics! I adore the burlap gown! Glad to keep in touch!
- Tue Mar 03, 08:01:00 PM 2009
Quilts from Houston 2019
Hi ya! I never got around to posting about Houston when I was there teaching the end of October. I tell ya, the fall was a total blur with...
Well, we are at the end of our journey with the Mid Atlantic Quilt Festival. I do hope you enjoyed seeing these quilts. There were tons more...
Here we are, the end of May already! I want to start out with photos of our project this month. One can never have to many pincushions....
So I get invited to this shin dig for my girlfriend that just made Captain in the Navy. I'm really proud of her and her accomplishment a...


text:
Camel Man, The
$7.00 ex tax
In the outback, in 1890, there were no roads or trucks. The camel men brought the things people wanted. But this time the camels were carrying something special!
Story by Chris Malakar
Pictures by Moira Hanrahan
Listen to the story here:
This audio recording is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Australia License: CC-BY-NC-ND.
The story text itself and all illustrations, are fully copyright (c) Material Galz and PRACE PageTurners.


text:
TimeSnappermake timesheets a snap
The Automatic Screenshot Journal
TimeSnapper runs in the background of your computer, taking screenshots of your desktop every few seconds all week long.
About Us
TimeSnapper is a joint venture between Atli Björgvin Oddsson and Leon Bambrick.
Atli is from Iceland, Leon is from Australia.
Iceland and Australia are on opposite sides of the world.
When it's summer in Australia, it's winter in Iceland.
When it's nighttime in Australia, it's daytime in Iceland.
Leon dreamt up the idea, and wrote about it on his weblog.
Atli read the weblog and liked the idea. He wrote a simple version of TimeSnapper and emailed it to Leon.
Leon liked what he saw, so they worked together on a more complete version, and they entered it in a software developer's competition.
They won the competition and decided to go into business together, making a professional version of TimeSnapper.
Despite the distance, they worked closely together carefully crafting every feature of TimeSnapper, and ironing out every wrinkle they could find.
They launched it to a small team of dedicated Beta testers, who gave it a thorough review, asking them to fix and improve many things.
TimeSnapper has gone on to move through many versions and to sell many copies. People use it for things that the product's creators never dreamed.
Apart from helping with timesheets, it is used as a productivity tool, as a testing tool, as a stock tracker, as a factory monitor, as a monitor to help combat sleep apnea(!), and as a weather tracker for remote airlines.
Leon's blog is at secretGeek.net.


text:
Bring Your Vehicle to Klamath Falls Toyota for Expert Service
In some ways, your car is like your child. Most of the time, it behaves well and does like it's supposed to. But sometimes it acts up, makes a lot of noise, or just won't get going in the morning. You wouldn't take your child to anyone but a qualified doctor when they're sick. And you shouldn't take your vehicle just anywhere when it needs to be serviced or repaired. You should do like people in Grants Pass and Medford, OR do and bring your car, truck, or SUV to Klamath Falls Toyota for expert service.
We have a service center staffed with certified technicians that can handle anything from oil changes to transmission overhauls. We know you're busy, so you can count on us to service or repair your vehicle in a timely manner, with same-day service in most cases. We also have a vast inventory of new and used vehicles available at fair market prices.
We Have the Latest Tools and Equipment to Keep Your Car Running Smoothly
People in Klamath Falls and Altamont, OR bring their vehicles to Klamath Falls Toyota because their vehicle is a major investment, and we can help them keep it protected with regular maintenance. Our skilled, factory-trained mechanics have the latest tools and diagnostic equipment to keep your vehicle running smoothly and efficiently. And of course, when you bring your Toyota car, truck, or SUV to us for repairs, we use only genuine Toyota parts.
Whether you need standard maintenance, like a tire rotation or battery check - or a major repair - like brake replacement or a leaky valve cover, you can count on Klamath Falls Toyota for professional service.
For most auto repairs or maintenance, your vehicle will be ready for you to pick up at the end of the work day. While you wait, you can enjoy free Wi-Fi, coffee, and popcorn in our waiting lounge. We understand that it's hard to do without your vehicle, even for a brief period, so we offer free shuttle service six days a week, and Hertz rental cars are available on-site.
Best of all, brake inspections, alignment checks, and battery tests are offered free of charge. We also make it easy for people in Grants Pass and Medford, OR to set up a service appointment with Klamath Falls Toyota. Just fill out our convenient online Service Appointment Request Form and provide us with basic information about your vehicle and how to contact you. If you'd rather speak with someone in person, give us a call at (888) 460-7909. Our service center is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 am to 6:00 pm and Saturdays from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm for your convenience. Visit Klamath Falls Toyota at 2121 Washburn Way in Klamath Falls, OR for exceptional service on your car, truck, or SUV.