CRTC

Bell, Rogers and Telus aren't backing down on a handful of new cellphone fees, even after Canada's telecom regulator warned the charges might be illegal, according to a report from The Globe and Mail, summarizing the latest replies from carriers. In letters filed with the CRTC on Wednesday, all three carriers confirmed they plan to...

Freedom Mobile has updated its website to bring its service terms in line with the CRTC's new regulations targeting wireless junk fees. On Wednesday, the carrier axed its mandatory three-month subscription requirement for customers when signing up for its global Roam Beyond data plans (basically all their plans since February). The shift follows another move...

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...

Starting today, Canadians can switch wireless and internet providers without getting hit with activation or switching fees. The CRTC's ban on connection and modification fees officially takes effect today, Friday, June 12, putting an end to the $80 connection fees that Rogers, Telus, Bell and their flanker brands have been charging when activating with a...

The federal government is preparing to tell Canada's broadcasting regulator to drop its rules requiring foreign streaming services to help fund local news and niche broadcasters, according to two senior government sources who spoke to the Globe and Mail. The sources say the Liberal government is lining up moves that would push the CRTC to...

The federal government says it legally can't overturn a CRTC ruling that triples what major streaming platforms have to pay toward Canadian content, according to the Canadian Press. The Conservatives pushed a motion in the House of Commons asking cabinet to reject the decision, which forces large foreign streaming services to hand over 15 per...

Major American streaming platforms including Netflix, Apple TV+, Amazon, and Disney+ are facing a tripling of their mandatory contributions to Canadian content under sweeping new rules from Canada's broadcast regulator, and the fallout is already getting loud on both sides of the border. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) announced yesterday that online broadcasters...

The CRTC is calling out Bell over a new $40 fee the company has been charging customers who buy a phone through a wireless plan. After removing the $80 connection fee for Bell and Virgin Plus this week, a new $40 device fee was added for customers who buy a phone from the companies. In...

The CRTC is making a move that should lead to cheaper monthly internet bills for millions of Canadians. The regulator on Friday has finalized the prices that smaller, independent internet companies have to pay to use the giant fibre networks built by our big telecoms such as Rogers, Telus and Bell. By locking in these...

The CRTC is making it a little harder for your internet and phone providers to surprise you with massive bills, or what we’ve all learned over the years as ‘bill shock’. Following new changes to the Telecommunications Act, the regulator is rolling out new rules designed to give Canadians more warning before their monthly costs...

The CRTC is calling for new proposals to improve internet and cell service in underserved areas across the country. The move is part of the regulator's Broadband Fund, which aims to fill the connectivity gap in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities. To date, the fund has supported projects in over 320 communities, including 135 Indigenous...

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) is looking to overhaul how it funds high-speed internet and cellphone service for Indigenous communities. The regulator is asking for public feedback on how to make its $825 million Broadband Fund (different from the $3.2 billion Universal Broadband Fund run by ISED) funded by telecoms more accessible for...