Close X
Thursday, November 14, 2024
ADVT 
National

CRTC Won't Force Wireless Telecom Companies To Offer Bills On Paper

Darpan News Desk, 03 Mar, 2020 08:06 PM

    OTTAWA - Canada's telecom regulator won't force mobile service providers to offer customers paper invoices, at least not yet.

     

    But the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission is opening a consultation to learn more about whether there's a "market failure" that demands the government step in.

     

    Two advocacy groups wanted the CRTC to force Telus-owned Koodo Mobile to reverse its move to electronic billing for all but a select few of its customers.

     

    John Lawford with the Public Interest Advocacy Centre, which filed a formal complaint to the CRTC alongside the National Pensioners Federation, said Canadians have a right to receive paper bills— at no cost — under changes to the Telecommunications Act passed in 2014.

     

    Koodo argued that, while the law says telecom companies cannot charge a fee for invoicing, they are not compelled to actually provide paper bills.

     

    Since Koodo began switching to electronic bills in early 2015, most other wireless carriers, including Telus, have followed suit. Rogers is planning to do the same as of March 26.

     

    As long as companies clearly spell out their invoicing policies to new customers, the CRTC ruled Tuesday, "the offering of paper bills may operate as a competitive incentive, and that one communications service provider's refusal to cater to such a demand can be another provider's opportunity to gain a customer."

     

    But, says the ruling, the investigation of this particular complaint was narrow.

     

    "The evidence on the record of this proceeding is insufficient for the commission to conclude that the marketplace has failed to meet an economic or social need regarding the provision of paper bills and that commission intervention is warranted, since the evidence related largely to Koodo," it says.

     

    So the CRTC is seeking more information about other providers' practices, and whether there's a need for regulations, especially to protect people who might have trouble paying bills online. It's seeking input on both telecom and broadcasting services. Providers will have a month to file information on their invoicing practices. Further examination of the issues will take until the end of May.

     

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Medical Aid In Dying Not Driven By Lack Of Access To Palliative Care: New Study

    Medical Aid In Dying Not Driven By Lack Of Access To Palliative Care: New Study
    MONTREAL - Medical aid in dying is not being driven by factors such as poverty, isolation, or lack of access to proper palliative care, according to a new study by Canadian researchers.    

    Medical Aid In Dying Not Driven By Lack Of Access To Palliative Care: New Study

    Ontario Appeal Court Hearing Case Of Man With HIV Convicted Of Sex Assault

    Ontario Appeal Court Hearing Case Of Man With HIV Convicted Of Sex Assault
    A man who is HIV-positive was convicted of three counts of aggravated sexual assault based on a legal standard that isn't in line with scientific evidence, his lawyers argued before Ontario's top court on Wednesday.    

    Ontario Appeal Court Hearing Case Of Man With HIV Convicted Of Sex Assault

    Trudeau Secures Senegal's Vote For UN Security Council Seat On Dakar Trip

    DAKAR, Senegal - Senegalese President Macky Sall pledged to support Canada's bid for a seat on the UN Security Council as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wrapped up the second part of his visit to Africa.    

    Trudeau Secures Senegal's Vote For UN Security Council Seat On Dakar Trip

    Freight And Passenger Railways Under Stress As Anti-pipeline Blockades Continue

    The comments in the Senegalese capital of Dakar, where Trudeau is wrapping up a visit to Africa, followed the cancellation of passenger rail service on key routes even as protesters prepared for police to move in on their camps.    

    Freight And Passenger Railways Under Stress As Anti-pipeline Blockades Continue

    Family Struggling To Make Sense Of Four-Year-Old Girl's Sudden Death

    An Ontario family says it is struggling to make sense of the sudden death of their four-year-old daughter, whose body was found alongside her father's at the bottom of an escarpment west of Toronto.    

    Family Struggling To Make Sense Of Four-Year-Old Girl's Sudden Death

    Toronto Lawyer Leslyn Lewis Becomes Official Candidate For Conservative Leader

    OTTAWA - Toronto lawyer Leslyn Lewis is running for leadership of the federal Conservative party.    

    Toronto Lawyer Leslyn Lewis Becomes Official Candidate For Conservative Leader