Telecom

The Public Interest Advocacy Centre today welcomed new rules generally prohibiting internet service providers from billing customers for data based on content. The new rules require that all data generally be billed at the same rate regardless of the type of data consumers access, effectively ending “differential pricing” or “zero-rating”.

"This Budget is a cruel joke for low-income Canadians struggling to afford broadband internet for education, health, employment and other key services," said John Lawford, Executive Director and General Counsel of PIAC. "Acknowledging such a fundamental problem with a token amount and having the gall to call it an 'Affordable Access program' is insulting," he added.

Tomorrow is World Consumer Rights Day 2017, Building a Digital World Consumers Can Trust. Organized by Consumers International, of which PIAC is a member, this year’s WCRD theme is consumer digital rights, including one of four key digital issues—“access and choice” to high-speed internet. Broadband access, however, is almost impossible to discuss without addressing the affordability of broadband internet. At PIAC, we ask, “How do we build a digital world that is affordable for everyone?”

“The CRTC seized an important opportunity to make sure all Canadians, regardless of where they live can have access to the same standard of internet service that most Canadians already have”, said John Lawford, Executive Director and General Counsel at PIAC. “Although we believe more work is needed to address affordability, we are hopeful the CRTC’s submissions on affordability to the federal government, and its commitment to monitoring affordability, will eventually result in more support for low-income Canadians.”

Exempting some entrants from data caps hurts innovation and competition and ultimately, all consumers.

PIAC outlines the position of the “Affordable Access Coalition” in preparation for the upcoming CRTC decision on a review of basic telecommunications services.

The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) believes evidence in the 2015-2016 Annual Report of the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS) released today suggest some service providers continue employing practices that violate the spirit of the Wireless Code of Conduct, to the detriment of Canadian consumers.

A new report from the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) suggests many low income Canadians struggle to afford their communications services, and provides policy suggestions to address this ongoing challenge.

The Public Interest Advocacy Centre today filed the attached part I application regarding Quebec Bill 74, Loi concernant principalement la mise en oeuvre de certaines dispositions du discours sur le Budget du 26 mars 2015 and blocking of certain websites associated with online gambling.

The essential nature of the internet was all but confirmed by the CRTC, but work is still needed towards affordability and access