Even as the minister responsible admitted there aren’t enough competitive options for mobile service in Canada, another federal official said consumers can and should search for other service providers when faced with price increases. That message — from Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Canada — came just hours after the Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne said Canadians “still pay too much and see too little competition” for cellular services. Read full story here: Switch carriers? How? Ottawa gives mixed messages over rising mobile prices | CBC News
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Liberals Give Big 3 Wireless Providers Two Years To Cut Prices By 25 Percent | CBC News
The Liberal government is giving Canada’s big three national wireless providers two years to cut their basic prices for cellphone services by 25 per cent — and telling them it will step in to cut prices if they don’t comply. Innovation, Science and Industry Minister Navdeep Bains issued the ultimatum today along with new spectrum auction rules that could open up Canada’s wireless market to new competition. “Yes, affordability is a challenge and we need to see lower prices,” Bains told CBC news. Bains said the government expects Bell, Telus…
Read MoreBig Telcos Offer Bonus-Data Deals But 3 Provinces Get The Best Bargains | CBC News
The holiday season has sparked another round of wireless wars: Rogers, Bell and Telus are all offering double the data (or more) on select mobile plans across the country. But not all customers are thrilled because of glaring regional price differences: the best bonus-data deals by far are in Quebec, Manitoba and Saskatchewan — provinces which typically see better wireless plan prices. Read full story here: Big Telcos Offer Bonus-Data Deals But 3 Provinces Get The Best Bargains | CBC News
Read MoreTelecom Mediator Sees 57% Spike In Complaints In 2017-18, Mainly About Wireless | CBC News
The federal watchdog that handles customer complaints about telecommunications and television services in Canada saw a 57 per cent spike in complaints in 2017-2018, most of them involving wireless providers. The Commission for Complaints for Telecom-Television Services said Tuesday that it also expects to see complaints rise this year. For the first time, the federal watchdog is also investigating complaints about television. But most of what it heard in the year to September 2018 were the same issues that the CCTS has been dealing with for the past 10 years —…
Read MoreBig Telcos Tell CRTC They Put Customers First And Shun Shady Sales Tactics | CBC News
Canada’s big telecom companies are fighting back against allegations of shady sales practices, defending themselves as ethical corporations relentlessly focused on customer satisfaction. “Our customers are treated in a fair and respectful manner when purchasing the services we offer,” Rogers wrote in a submission to the CRTC. The broadcast regulator requested information from the telcos after launching an inquiry in July into allegations of misleading and aggressive sales practices. Over the past two months, the CRTC has received more than 1,000 comments from telecom customers, complaining about everything from misleading promotions to being…
Read MoreCRTC Investigating ‘Possible Misleading’ Telco Sales Practices After First Rejecting The Idea | CBC News
The CRTC has launched a public inquiry into “possible misleading or aggressive” sales practices used by telecom companies, a move the regulator flatly refused to make just six months ago. “It was definitely discouraging when the CRTC rejected it the first time around,” said Laura Tribe, executive director of consumer advocacy group Open Media. “It is also encouraging to see that they’re taking this opportunity to get it right.” Monday’s announcement included an invitation for Canadians to go online to share their personal experiences involving questionable telco sales tactics. The CRTC also plans to conduct…
Read MoreOttawa Orders CRTC To Investigate Reports Of ‘Aggressive’ Telecom Sales Practices | CBC News
The federal government is ordering an investigation following allegations that Canada’s largest telecommunications companies are using “misleading” and “aggressive” tactics to sell products and services. Innovation, Science and Economic Minister Navdeep Bains has ordered the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to investigate and report on the sales practices used by Canada’s largest telecommunication companies. The minister also called for a public inquiry to allow Canadians to voice their concerns and said the resulting inquiry report will have to propose potential solutions. The call for inquiry follows months of CBC stories on the issue. Read full story here: Ottawa Orders CRTC To Investigate Reports…
Read MoreBig Telco’s Lower-Cost, Data-Only Plans Are ‘Embarrassing,’ Critics Say | CBC News
Bell, Rogers and Telus’ proposed lower-cost, data-only wireless deals are no deal at all, say critics. The offerings include half a gigabyte (GB) of data for $30 a month. “It’s embarrassing and quite frankly it’s rude to think that these are functional plans,” said Laura Tribe, executive director of Open Media, a consumer watchdog group. In March, the CRTC announced that it would ensure Canadians have access to cheaper, data-only wireless deals. The plans are meant to fill a void while the telecom regulator reviews a recent decision that effectively hinders smaller, WiFi-based, national discount wireless carriers from operating in Canada. The…
Read MoreTelecom Mediator Adds Staff To Deal With Soaring Complaints About Bell, Rogers, Telus And Others | CBC News
So many people filed complaints with the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services in recent months, the telecom mediator had to add staff to deal with the volume. In its mid-year report released today, the CCTS says it accepted 6,849 complaints between August 2017 and January 2018, a 73 per cent increase over the same period the previous year. “It’s disappointing,” says CCTS commissioner Howard Maker. “Obviously there are challenges — miscommunication, misunderstandings, poorly written documents. It’s a bit frustrating.” He attributed part of the increase in complaints to recent telecom coverage in the…
Read MoreBig Telcos Not Required To Sell Wholesale Network Access To Tower-less Rivals, CRTC Says – Business – CBC News
The CRTC has once again refused to mandate the big telcos sell wholesale access to their wireless networks to fledgling rivals without towers of their own, a decision critics call a blow for competition and for Canadians fed up with big cellphone bills. At the request of Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains, the regulator spent months reviewing its ruling from last March that threatened to put Sugar Mobile out of business. On Thursday, the CRTC reaffirmed its decision that the discount Wi-Fi-based provider has no right to resell access to Rogers’s network to keep its…
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