CRTC should outlaw telco's paper bill fees, order refunds, says PIAC

OTTAWA – The CRTC should prohibit telecommunications companies from charging for paper bills and order refunds for fees already charged to regulated phone customers, says the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC). In an application filed with the Commission Wednesday, PIAC, in conjunction with the Consumers’ Association of Canada (CAC), argued that fees charged to receive bills in paper format are an “unauthorized rate increase” for regulated landline customers, and "unjustly discriminatory" towards all telecommunications customers. “By charging a paper bill fee, telecommunications service providers assume that all Canadians are comfortable with, or have access to, electronic billing,” said John Lawford, executive...