CRTC scraps 30-day wait to cancel cable, internet, phone services
Posted November 6, 2014 1:35 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has announced that Canadians will no longer be required to give advance notice if they want to change their television, Internet and phone services.
The regulatory body announced Thursday it is prohibiting service providers from requiring customers to give 30-day advance notice if they want to cancel their services.
In a statement, the CRTC said many Canadians are frustrated with these policies, and it is giving service providers until Jan. 23 to make the appropriate changes.
“Some consumers end up paying two companies for the same service as they transition from one provider to another. In a dynamic marketplace, it should be easy for Canadians to switch providers given that service plans and offers are constantly changing,” the CRTC said in the statement.
The decision is the first to come out of the regulator’s public consultation campaign, Let’s Talk TV: A Conversation with Canadians.
The consultation heard from consumer groups and individual Canadians to comment on the TV experience in the country.
As a result, the CRTC is considering many changes, including allowing Canadians to pick and choose each channel they watch and bringing in regulations for internet streaming services like Netflix.
With files from Toronto staff
