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CRTC Hearing Debates Standardized Labels for Home Internet Plans

Commissioners are weighing telecoms’ cost concerns against advocates’ calls for clearer plan comparisons.

The CRTC is considering a requirement for internet providers to display relevant information such as price and speed on a standard label.
Canada's telecommunications regulator is expected to hear today from major providers and consumer advocacy groups amid its ongoing hearing about making it easier to shop for internet services. A person navigates to the online social-media pages of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) on a cellphone in Ottawa on Monday, May 17, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Overview

  • The second day of the CRTC’s four-day hearing featured presentations from Telus, Bell and industry groups on the label proposal.
  • Telus backed a streamlined disclosure format but urged restrictions on complex metrics to avoid consumer confusion.
  • Bell Canada recommended mandating detailed speed and network technology data on provider websites instead of new labels.
  • Consumer advocates led by OpenMedia and the Samuelson-Glushko clinic argued that a uniform label would empower shoppers.
  • The hearing resumes Thursday with testimony from Rogers, the telecom ombudsman and the Competition Bureau.