CRTC bans 30-day notice for cancelling TV, phone, internet

[MortgageQueen]

Awesome news. No more entrapment!


CRTC bans 30-day notice for cancelling TV, phone, internet

Telecom regulator removes requirement of having to give notice before cancelling service

CBC News Posted: Nov 06, 2014 12:00 PM ET Last Updated: Nov 06, 2014 12:53 PM ET


The CRTC says it will forbid telecom companies from requiring 30 days' notice before a customer cancels or changes television, phone or internet service. (Ed Bailey/Associated Press)

Canadians no longer have to give a 30-day notice to cancel or change their television, internet or landline telephone service, the CRTC says.

In a release, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission said it is "prohibiting television service providers from requiring that Canadians give 30 days' notice prior to cancelling these services."
It's the first decision to come out of the regulator's Let's Talk TV hearings, which was considering whether to allow some major changes to the way television is delivered to Canadians.
The CRTC says it will require cable companies to adhere to the new rule by Jan. 23. The regulator also says the same rule will apply to switching internet providers or phone services.
The CRTC previously implemented a similar rule for cellphone contracts when it rolled out Canada's wireless code last December.
"By prohibiting 30-day cancellation policies for television, internet and telephone (including voice over internet protocol) services, the CRTC has made it easier for individuals and small business customers to take advantage of a competitive marketplace by switching service providers," the regulator said in a release.
The decision came in part because the CRTC believes Canadians were frustrated with the 30-day rule, which applied even at the end of a contract term.
"Some consumers end up paying two companies for the same service as they transition from one provider to another," reads the release. That switch should make it easier for Canadians in a market where providers frequently change the plans they offer, the regulator reasoned.
'Switch whenever and however you want'

The decision is good news for consumers, says Greg O'Brien, editor and publisher of Cartt.ca — a telecom industry news site.
"It means you can switch whenever and however you want," he said.

• Pick-and-Pay cable would mean changes to local TV funding, say Bell, Rogers
• CRTC mulls cable rule overhaul that may allow custom packages

The 30-day notice rule made sense in an analog cable world, O'Brien says, when the time was required for a truck to be dispatched to the house to do the work.
"With digital, it's a click of the mouse in head office," he says.
O'Brien speculates consumers can expect the CRTC to continue releasing incremental decisions.
"There's definitely going to be pick and pay, and skinny basic [cable packages]," he predicted.
During the public consultations, much of the talk focused on the pick-and-pay model for cable television, which would give consumers more choice, rather than being locked into expensive bulk specialty channel packages.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/crtc...rnet-1.2826054

[greeny]

That's good news !

[padyofurniture]

It's very good news

[Patty Smyth]

YAY!!!

It's ridiculous the 30 day notice. If they can connect you while you are talking to them on the phone then they can disconnect you also. It's a money grab.

[MortgageQueen]

Yes, that was the whole point of CRTC. In the old days, a van you come and disconnect. Now it's just a click of a key and it's done. 30 days is nothing more than hostage taking.

[Shwa Girl]

I am also hoping that the pick and pay channels will come in 2015, where you don't have to take all the channels in a package, just to get the few channels you really want.

[MortgageQueen]

Supposedly they are, but apparently the U.S. channels are threatening to pull out if they do. . . .so who knows?

[Silk]

As some who had to pay double for internet service when i switched to a new company, I'm glad for this.

Silk

[TooCouponCrazy]

Great news indeed.

[annedougherty]

Haa! Glad they got rid of that BS. With just having had a baby, when I moved I had completely forgotten about that 30 day nonsense when I remembered to cancel my internet. When she told me they had to charge me another 30 days because I had to give that much notice, my maniacal laughter scared her so much she promptly said I will see what I can do, and managed to disconnect it the following day

[Shwa Girl]

When she told me they had to charge me another 30 days because I had to give that much notice, my maniacal laughter scared her so much she promptly said I will see what I can do, and managed to disconnect it the following day

Of course you laughed! A Smart Canuck does not put up with such Tomfoolery

[Rockin' Kitty]

Awesome!! Thanks for posting this. I had no clue!!

[walkonby]

Great news!! Thanks for posting it MQ