GATINEAU – The Competition Bureau announced Monday it has obtained a court order from the Federal Court requiring Rogers to produce records and information relevant to the bureau’s investigation into the wireless provider’s alleged marketing practices, specifically related to its “unlimited” wireless plans.
“The Bureau’s investigation involves claims made by Rogers when promoting its Infinite wireless phone plans. In particular, the Bureau is examining claims that the plans have unlimited data, when there are allegedly significant reductions in data speed, known as throttling, after a subscriber reaches a certain data cap,” reads a Competition Bureau press release.
“The Bureau is looking to determine if Rogers’ marketing practices raise concerns under the civil deceptive marketing provisions of the Competition Act. There is no conclusion of wrongdoing at this time,” the release adds.
As Cartt reported previously, the bureau launched its investigation into Rogers’s marketing practices on April 6, only three days after Rogers closed its acquisition of Shaw Communications. The companies’ merger was the target of a prolonged legal challenge by the bureau, which attempted to have the merger blocked.
The bureau has said its investigation of Rogers’s marketing of its Infinite wireless plans is unrelated to the bureau’s Rogers-Shaw merger litigation.
Rogers has questioned why it is being singled out by the Competition Bureau for its advertising practices around its unlimited wireless plans, when these types of plans are now common in Canada and have been offered for several years by Rogers and other wireless providers.
Bell and Quebecor have both told Cartt they are not aware of any bureau investigation involving them.
