{"id":767003,"date":"2026-06-28T15:34:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-28T15:34:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/767003\/"},"modified":"2026-06-28T15:34:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-28T15:34:11","slug":"new-crtc-rules-aim-to-empower-consumers-but-will-canadians-truly-save-on-bills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/767003\/","title":{"rendered":"New CRTC rules aim to empower consumers, but will Canadians truly save on bills?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every couple of years, Marc Nanni makes a call to his home internet provider to see if he can find some savings on his monthly bill.<\/p>\n

Unexpected charges always seem to add up within that time frame, he says, whether it\u2019s a \u201csystem access\u201d fee here or a \u201cbasic service\u201d fee there.<\/p>\n

Nanni\u2019s efforts are usually enough to score a handful of rebates \u2014 he estimates he\u2019s negotiated $35 worth of charges waived from his current bill \u2014 but the Gatineau, Que., man still doesn\u2019t know what those charges were meant for in the first place.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey sort of monkey the prices. There\u2019s $2 for this, $2 for that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re dinging you with these fabricated fees.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eliminating certain \u201cjunk fees\u201d is one of several measures recently introduced by Canada\u2019s telecommunications regulator, with more to come, as it attempts to reduce barriers it says have long stood in the way of consumers seeking cheaper cellphone and internet plans. New consumer protections for the sector had been required as part of recent legislative amendments by the federal government.<\/p>\n

While some say it\u2019s a welcome step, others question whether the moves will actually lead to meaningful savings for Canadians, especially as major telecom companies push back on the new regulations.<\/p>\n

In addition to a prohibition on activation, cancellation and modification fees that came into effect June 12, the CRTC has implemented rules that give consumers self-serve options to adjust their plans and mandate service providers to notify customers when a discount on their bill is about to expire.<\/p>\n

The commission is also planning to soon announce guidelines that would require carriers to publicize key information about their home internet plans \u2014 such as price and speed \u2014 through a standardized label.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we\u2019re trying to do is make it easier and to facilitate consumers shopping around for their telecom services,\u201d said Scott Hutton, the CRTC\u2019s vice-president of consumer, analytics and strategy, in an interview.<\/p>\n

\u201cCanadians are tired of being nickel-and-dimed.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said that while costs have been coming down over the past five years, Canadians are still paying \u201camongst the highest prices in the world for both cellphone and home internet services.\u201d Compounding that problem, the regulator said it found from its outreach that consumers share a common sentiment that it can be too difficult to switch providers, keeping them locked into plans even when there are better, discounted offers on the market.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know of a Canadian who\u2019s not frustrated with their telecom bill,\u201d Hutton said.<\/p>\n

The moves are encouraging, said PlanHub.ca co-founder and CEO Nadir Marcos, whose platform helps shoppers compare offers across telecom providers.<\/p>\n

Marcos said consumers may be unaware of options that can help lower their bills, recalling a client who hadn\u2019t changed plans in a decade and was paying nearly 10 times the price of current market offers. But calling customer service to make a change can be an arduous process; it\u2019s not uncommon to spend hours on hold before finally getting through.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why the new self-service and notification requirements could be a \u201cgame changer,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think people just forget to shop,\u201d said Marcos.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust being proactive and getting text messages when the promotion\u2019s finished will help for sure to make the consumer aware.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019s also hopeful these changes could create a chain reaction in the marketplace. While many promotions are only available to new customers, Marcos said increased competition could prompt providers to offer better deals to existing customers too as part of their retention efforts.<\/p>\n

However, some of the new regulations have been met with resistance from major players in Canada\u2019s telecom sector.<\/p>\n

Earlier this month, the CRTC issued warnings to Bell Canada, Telus Corp. and Rogers Communications Inc. after each introduced fees that the regulator says could violate its new ban on ancillary charges.<\/p>\n

The companies each argue those specific fees, which range in description from device \u201chandling\u201d or \u201csetup\u201d to SIM purchase, should qualify for exemptions to the CRTC\u2019s policy meant for optional services or equipment. They also said the charges serve a purpose \u2014 recovering their own costs.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt costs money to activate a customer,\u201d said telecommunications consultant Mark Goldberg.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s costs of resources, the assignment of a phone number, the management of that. There\u2019s costs associated with activating a new device and loading up the database, costs associated with running credit checks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Goldberg questioned whether banning activation and cancellation fees would truly save consumers money at the end of the day. For the providers, he said \u201cthat money has to come from somewhere\u201d in order to maintain profits.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere do the legislators and the CRTC think the money\u2019s going to come from? Does it mean that discounts are lower, that the overall monthly rate is a little bit higher?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re ultimately loading all of the cost recovery into the monthly bill.\u201d<\/p>\n

National Bank analyst Adam Shine said the elimination of \u201cso-called junk fees\u201d comes as no surprise.<\/p>\n

\u201cStill, the carriers do have costs involved with the provisioning of devices and setting up of accounts,\u201d Shine said in a note published earlier this month.<\/p>\n

TD Cowen analyst Vince Valentini estimated lost revenue from the elimination of those fees could total $50 million to $75 million per year.<\/p>\n

And with the CRTC appearing \u201cunwilling to budge on its position\u201d to remove those charges, the industry could look to replace that revenue stream with higher base monthly rate plans, Valentini said in a June 18 note.<\/p>\n

Hutton acknowledged that likelihood, but he said higher prices upfront at least provide more transparency, while possibly encouraging competition.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you have to increase your prices so be it, but do that through the front door. Charge a price, don\u2019t surprise consumers with price increases in the middle of the contract, don\u2019t have these special little fees that come out of nowhere,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cCanadians need to shop around. So sending a clear message, cancelling your service, going with another provider, exercising your consumer rights are how that will occur.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Nanni, the CRTC\u2019s direction is a good start, but he feels there is still a long way to go when it comes to empowering consumers, especially those less proactive than him.<\/p>\n

He said stronger restrictions on what fees providers can charge can help the regulator avoid playing \u201cwhack-a-mole\u201d as far as enforcement.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, you\u2019re getting dinged with fees that people never saw before,\u201d said Nanni.<\/p>\n

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 28, 2026.<\/p>\n

Companies in this story: (TSX:BCE, TSX:T, TSX:RCI.B)<\/p>\n

Sammy Hudes, The Canadian Press<\/p>\n

\t\tKeep it Factual<\/p>\n

Add CityNews Toronto as a trusted source on Google to see more local stories from us.<\/p>\n

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