Confused by Your Telecom Bills? The CRTC Is Working on a Fix for Canadians

The CRTC is launching a public consultation (yes, another one) today with the goal of rolling all of its consumer protection rules into one unified code covering internet, cellphone, home phone, and TV services.

Right now the rules for each of those services exist separately because they were each developed at different times. The problem is that most Canadians bundle these services together, so having four different sets of rules makes things unnecessarily confusing. The CRTC wants to fix that by consolidating everything into a single, easier-to-understand framework that reduces billing surprises and makes it clearer what your rights actually are.

CRTC chair Vicky Eatrides summed it up plainly: “Consumer protections should be simple. Through this consultation, we want to help Canadians understand their rights so they can make informed choices and better manage their bills.”

This comes on the heels of a busy stretch for the regulator. The CRTC recently eliminated activation and switching fees (as of today), tightened up contract expiry notifications, and made it easier for Canadians to change or cancel their plans.

If you want to weigh in, the CRTC is accepting public comments until August 11, 2026. You can submit through the CRTC’s online form, through the CRTC Conversations platform, by mail to the Secretary General in Gatineau, or by fax (yes, fax) to 819-994-0218. A public hearing is also scheduled for November 30, 2026, and all comments will be part of the public record.