A Yukon advocacy group for consumers is asking Northwestel to disclose how it counts internet usage.

The Utilities Consumers Group sent a letter to local newspapers outlining four ways Northwestel can improve service, including a cap on over-usage fees and paying back customers who have slower service. The letter is a follow-up to a meeting it had with the company a few weeks ago.

Rob Hopkins, part of the Utilities Consumers Group, also wants the company to disclose the engineering behind its bandwidth counter.

"Northwestel is heavily subsidized by the Canadian public and they should be accountable to show that they are following best practices for accounting and setting up internet bandwidth monitoring tools," he said.

Northwestel's Vice President of Marketing, Curtis Shaw, says the company has already lowered fees for over-usage and is fixing infrastructure in areas of slow service.

He says it does not need to show how its counter works because that leaves them open to competition.

"We don't want to let people know our best practices," he said. "And also for security standpoint, in terms of work, where it's located and how it's engineered and to keep it up and running all the time."

Hopkins says he looks forward to the next meeting with Northwestel on May 7.