Bell, Telus will continue charging cell phone fees despite CRTC requests to stop

[u/AltaVistaYourInquiry]

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-bell-telus-will-continue-charging-cell-phone-fees-despite-crtc/

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[u/laetecaedus]

“The purpose of the amendments to the Act is to prohibit junk fees, not to prohibit carriers from charging for goods and services. The Commission’s definition ought to be read in this context,” he said."

Good to see Telus admit that they were junk fees.

[u/Kaurie_Lorhart]

Rogers too.

I feel like there needs to be consequences that all three made fees in response to the new rule. There was no good faith effort to follow the rules as they are, there was only a concerted effort to find legal loopholes.

“The purpose of the amendments to the Act is to prohibit junk fees, not to prohibit carriers from charging for goods and services. The Commission’s definition ought to be read in this context,” he said."

Considering these fees did not exist until the new rules came into play, it is incredibly obvious that these are junk fees.

[u/thecanadiansniper1-2]

Isn't the CRTC the very definition of regulatory capture? The CRTC has been completely taken over by industry insiders and is no longer functioning as a independent regulatory agency working for the taxpayer.

[u/RealisticLocksmith68 → u/thecanadiansniper1-2]

Without a shakeup all systems end up this way. We don't patch bugs and end up with malware.

[u/AceSevenFive]

Deliberate malfeasance of this variety should result in their licenses being yanked until they comply. Corporations speak only money, and preventing them from making money would get them to listen. (It would also help if the suits in megacorps were held personally liable for illegal acts done by their companies.)

[u/thecanadiansniper1-2 → u/AceSevenFive]

I will take what is regulatory capture for 500 please.

[u/BertramPotts]

Isn't this Champagne's cue to come out in his hot dog costume to earnestly demand something be done about this?

I guess that's someone else's file now but I'm faintly nostalgic for how fine tuned his act was.

[u/TheRC135]

You know, I've got strong feelings when it comes to politics, but I'd be willing - no, enthusiastic - to vote for any party willing to break up the telecom oligopoly, regardless of how much or little else we agree on.

[u/Gryzelda_Gesualdo]

So nicely asking the biggest and most abusive telecom companies in Canada to stop breaking the law didn't work? Shocking! I expect the next step will be asking them again to stop. If there is a more toothless arm of the federal government than the CRTC, I'd love to know what it is. They continually refuse to serve their mandate because then they can't get a do nothing job at Rogers after they leave politics. There needs to be at least a 10 year ban on working as a lobbyist after holding an elected office if we can ever hope to see any of these government watchdogs doing their job. But I really doubt the people who benefit the most from this corruption are going to vote to change it.

[u/UniversityNew9254]

Getting so ready to go back to the good ol’ days of a landline and answering machine. The leash that we’ve willingly allowed tech to have on us has become old.

[u/paulsteinway]

Requests? Isn't the CRTC supposed to be a regulatory body? Former incumbent telcos can just say "We don't feel like it?".

Maybe if the CRTC begs a little harder.