GATINEAU – If adopted, the draft wireless code of conduct will likely cause some significant unintended consequences, SaskTel told the CRTC during the last day of the hearing Friday. The provincial Crown corporation pointed to the potential for unsatisfactory experiences, increased use of notifications and mandatory caps on overage fees as ones that could have big negative impacts on Canadians.
The amount of information that consumers will need to know can be considered excessive and will hinder wireless operators’ ability to improve efficiencies, according to SaskTel executives. Under the draft code, consumers would be subjected to a lengthy process involving…
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GATINEAU – “The initial reaction to say remove the three-year contract as an option outright, is actually anti-consumer. Yes, I say that, it’s anti-consumer,” said Jonathan Daniels, vice-president of regulatory law at Bell Canada on day four of the CRTC’s wireless code of conduct hearing.
Bell took its turn on the hot seat on Thursday morning after delivering its opening remarks on Wednesday afternoon to defend its comments on the draft code. The company argued that three-year contracts benefit consumers, and in fact, the length of the fixed term isn’t the underlying problem consumers find with the system.
Daniels explained that…
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TORONTO – The future of cable is IP, and the CEO of Rogers says the company plans to take a similar leadership role in advancing its IP network offerings for customers that it did in introducing smartphones.
“Everyone is going IP, that is the future of cable,” said Rogers president and CEO Nadir Mohamed who also announced he will retire in January 2014, but will continue to lead the company through 2013. He was speaking at a media call this morning in Toronto. Late yesterday the company released its fourth quarter results of 2012 which beat…
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GATINEAU – Upstart wireless operator EastLink had its opportunity to address the contentious issue of a mandatory $50 cap on overage charges on customers bills as a way to prevent bill shock on day three of the CRTC’s wireless code of conduct hearing.
The Commission’s draft wireless code calls for a cap on additional fees of $50 (usually driven by data usage), but also says that once the cap is hit, the service provider is to suspend all service so that no more charges are incurred.
“We feel basically a cap is just not necessary or necessarily…
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GATINEAU – The Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association urged the CRTC to take national responsibility for regulating consumer cell phone contracts. The CWTA made the comments during the first day of hearings into a wireless code of conduct.
Canadians “would be best served by a single set of regulations, not today’s patchwork of provincial laws, regulations, guidelines and interpretation bulletins,” said CWTA president and CEO Bernard Lord. He urged the Commission to adopt a code that “supersedes any current or future provincial legislation in this area.”
Under questioning, the CWTA said multiple pieces of guidelines, codes or legislation will only increase costs…
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GATINEAU – CRTC commissioners said they are concerned Canadian wireless companies are overcharging their customers when the device subsidy is paid off and there isn’t a corresponding drop in their monthly bill.
On Tuesday morning during day two of the Wireless Code of Conduct hearing, chairman Jean-Pierre Blais wondered if Telus customers who have paid off their device subsidy will see a reduction in their monthly bill. The company said it doesn’t happen automatically and consumers have to request it.
David Fuller, chief marketing officer at the “future is friendly” wireless operator, said customers can see a bill reduction, but only…
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OTTAWA – There is now real hope that a comprehensive “Wireless Code” can solve many of consumers’ most daunting problems with their wireless service providers says consumer rights group the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) said today
PIAC represented the Consumers’ Association of Canada (CAC) and Council of Senior Citizens’ Organizations of British Columbia (COSCO) before the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), in an oral hearing today. PIAC’s remarks focused on closing loopholes and improving the CRTC’s draft Wireless Code, which it maintains will revolutionize consumer rights to receive fair and understandable service from…
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OTTAWA – In Canada’s broadcast and communications industry, knowledge is power. The CWC 2013 Jeanne Sauvé Career Development program is designed to give women both. Whether you work in the private or public sector, the programs give you a "backstage pass" to learn how the other half lives.
The intensive learning experience is designed to give five participants (one each from Industry Canada, Canadian Heritage and the CRTC, and two from private-sector organizations) new perspectives, insights and direct access to some of the industry’s most influential policy and regulatory decision makers, as well as new…
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MONTREAL – Carolle Brabant's mandate as executive director of Telefilm Canada has been renewed for another three years.
"Under Carolle Brabant's leadership, the past three years have been very productive," said Michel Roy, Chair of the Board of Telefilm. "In the spirit of our 2011-2015 corporate plan, Fostering Cultural Success, to which she largely contributed, Carolle has managed to implement the Board's strategic direction while fostering a culture of success at Telefilm and in the industry.
"Under her management, over the next few years we'll be able to further integrate these recent changes and…
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TORONTO – Roam free? Well, not quite, but Rogers Communications promises it will soon launch new, more affordable, roaming rate for customers travelling to the United States. Rogers says it will lead the market with a new easy and worry-free roaming solution designed for Canadians travelling to the U.S.
Coming this spring, the company is introducing a new $7.99 pay-per-use roaming rate that gives customers access to 50 megabytes of data over a 24 hour period while travelling in the U.S. This new rate, available to consumers and businesses, gives customers nearly twice the data…
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