By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC on Friday launched a trio of consultations to “improve” the wireless and internet codes by making it easier for Canadians to switch plans or providers.
The consultations can be broken down into three major categories: more transparent communications from service providers, the elimination of certain fees associated with switching, and self-service options for customers to easily cancel or modify their contracts.
For the first bucket, the CRTC is looking into providing Canadians with a 90-day notice before their contracts – which cannot exceed 24 months – come to an end; requiring a notice before the end of a time-limited discount or promotion and, therefore, prior to a price increase; and changing the existing international roaming notification requirements.
The 90-day notice would include specific information, including the total price broken down into one-time and monthly fees with taxes; services and limits in the contract; equipment/device fees; network coverage; network speed; and other relevant options that their service provider offers and their key features that “best align with their existing level of service to ensure that they can choose a plan that best meets their needs and to avoid being oversold plans they do not want.”
The CRTC is also asking whether Canadians would benefit from being notified if they are getting close to the $100 international roaming cap, and whether roaming customers should be notified that there are packages to which they can subscribe to avoid pay-as-you-go pricing – instead of just being notified, as is required by the Wireless Code, of the pay-as-you-go rates.
Finally, on notification before the end of a time-limited discount or promotion, the CRTC is asking, if it should go forth with this, what information should be included in the notification.
For the second bucket, the CRTC is looking to go beyond the required rules notifying customers about one-time costs and early cancellation fees and to prohibit fees related to the activation or modification of a service plan or “whose main purpose is to discourage subscribers from modifying their plan or cancelling their contract for a telecommunications service.”
The regulator is asking which fees discourage modification or cancelling and in what instances should they be prohibited; whether the commission should amend the consumer protection codes related to early cancellation fees to facilitate switching; and whether a class of service provider should be exempt from these proposed rules.
And for the third bucket, the commission is looking to ensure customers are about to make changes to their phone and internet plans by themselves utilizing self-service mechanisms.
It is asking what self-service functions Canadians need; how they should access them (website, apps, phone, stores, kiosks); whether they should wholly replace other ways to cancel or modify contracts; how to ensure those with disabilities can access them; whether it should look to limit or prohibit fees associated with that type of service; how to ensure confidentiality of customer information; and what class of providers should be exempt, if any.
The consultations come a month after CRTC Chair Vicky Eatrides, pictured, said the commission would be launching inquiries to address ease of contract cancellation and providing more transparent information on telecom plans.
