On the day the CRTC’s new prohibition on fees for activating, modifying or cancelling wireless and internet service plans came into effect this past Friday, the commission sent letters to Telus and Bell asking the telcos if they have stopped charging customers new fees that it had previously warned could be in violation of the new rules.
Last Tuesday, the CRTC told Telus via a letter its new $15 SIM purchase fee may be considered to be an activation fee that would be prohibited as of Friday. In a new letter dated June 12, the CRTC asked Telus to confirm whether it had ceased its new practice, and if not, to explain why and provide reasons for why Telus considers its SIM purchase fee to be in compliance with the exemption for optional services and products set out in the telecom regulator’s new policy, or in compliance with the policy more generally.
The CRTC also followed up with Bell in a June 12 letter regarding that telco’s introduction of a $40 device handling fee earlier this spring, which Bell has been charging to customers purchasing a new device along with their wireless plan. In response to a May 6 letter from the CRTC warning that the new fee could breach the commission’s new rules, Bell wrote in a June 10 reply that its device handling fee is fully compliant with the Telecommunications Act and the amended Wireless Code. As with Telus, the CRTC is asking Bell to confirm whether it has stopped its new practice.
Both telcos have been told to submit replies to the CRTC’s requests for information by June 17. A quick look at Telus’s website and Bell’s website on Monday shows each is still charging their new fees to customers.
“We are currently examining the CRTC’s letter,” a Bell spokesperson told Cartt. “The CRTC’s new rules prohibit fees for activating or changing a service but do not apply to optional purchases a customer chooses to make, such as buying a device. Our one-time handling charge helps cover our costs of providing that device. Customers who do not buy a device from Bell are never charged this fee.”
Telus did not respond to a request for comment.
