Consumer Charter for A Connected Canada

Tuesday, November 03, 1998

CONSUMER CHARTER FOR A CONNECTED CANADA

WHEREAS telecommunications is an essential service for Canadians, and is increasingly essential to the social and economic well*being of Canada and its regions;

WHEREAS telecommunications has replaced postal service as the primary method of distance communication in Canada, with the same need for equitable and affordable access;

WHEREAS “to render reliable and affordable telecommunications services of high quality accessible to Canadians in both urban and rural areas in all regions of the country” is a key policy objective set out by Parliament in s.7 of the Telecommunications Act;

WHEREAS on June 12, 1998, the Federal, Provincial and Territorial Information Highway Ministers of Canada recognized that “access to the Information Highway in rural and remote areas, at affordable prices and service levels reasonably comparable to those in urban areas, is a fundamental goal of economic and social policy”;

WHEREAS many rural Canadians continue to lack affordable access to high quality telecommunications services;

WHEREAS the introduction of competition in all aspects of telecommunications has rendered impossible the historic subsidy from urban business and long distance revenues to rural local rates, making an explicit subsidy scheme necessary;

BE IT AFFIRMED THAT THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT HAS A RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE:

THAT the benefits of competition should flow to all Canadians, through a mandated subsidy designed to support affordable rates and high quality service in rural and remote areas;

THAT all Canadians have access to a defined set of basic telecommunications services, including, but not limited to, private telephone service, flat rates for local calling, and local access to the Internet at speeds that meet contemporary standards;

THAT the definition of “basic service” be reviewed and revised on an ongoing basis, through a public process;

THAT minimum quality standards for basic service be enforced through the use of regulatory incentives and penalties;

THAT the price of basic telecommunications service be affordable to all Canadian households; and

THAT rural rates be comparable to urban rates for the same service and that the quality of service in rural areas be comparable to that in urban areas.

DATE: November 3, 1998

Group Signatories to the “Consumer Charter for a Connected Canada” as of January 20, 1999