New Rules for Canada's Wireless Companies

I've been skeptical of cell phones for a long time. For one, I somehow always seem to get one where the reception is so bad that I'm constantly yelling to be heard, and saying, "What? What?? WHAT DID YOU SAY?!? Oh, forget it..."

Second is the cost of long-distance. I live in the GTA. It's a fact of life that the majority of us are commuters. The reasons, to my way of thinking, for having a cell phone are a) in case you have to call CAA on the side of the 401; and b) to call home to see if dinner will be ready and if you need to pick up garbage bags and arugula from the grocery store. So what good does a $20 per month plan do me if I double that easily in long distance charges? On my land line, I pay less than $30 per month for unlimited long distance anywhere in North America (in case, you know, I need to call someone in Arkansas.) On my cell, it's $0.35 per MINUTE. As in, for a five minute conversation, I just blew $1.75. Do that five times per week and you're looking at $8.75. Multiply that by 4 weeks per month and you've got $35. Plus HST. For 100 minutes of long distance. Hmmm...

Then, of course, there are those mysterious "System Access Fees" and the like. Basically a way of screwing over naive customers who think that they're REALLY paying on $30 per month for their cell phone plan. "Sure it's only $30, but the 'GOVERNMENT' makes us add that fee on." Uh-huh.

So yes, I am not a fan of cell phones. I have the most basic plan I can get with my crappy, horrible reception cell phone.

But truthfully, I want a better phone. I want a better plan. I want to be able to waste time on Twitter and Facebook ANY TIME THAT I WANT! I see all of these Tweets from UberTwitter and Tweetdeck, and I think, "That should be ME!" I have a random thought while out driving, and think "I have to remember to Tweet this - WHEN I get to a computer." It's not fair, people!

I have been with my cell phone carrier for over two years now of a three-year contract. I am eligible for a new phone. I buoyantly went into the store and drooled over the shiny, colourful screens and QWERTY keyboards, ready to fork over a much smaller sum than I would have paid six months ago for a new phone. Except then I was told I had to sign ANOTHER three-year contract to get it. And I don't want to do that.

Anyway, the point of all of this is that the Canadian government is making an attempt to rein in the major cell phone companies. However, rather than being accused of being heavy-handed, they're doing, well, not a lot. Don't hold your breath unless you have the lung capacity of David Blaine or something.

The government has encouraged "self-regulation" in the industry. The companies have adopted a Code of Conduct and are funding an "independent" Commissioner of Complaints for Telecommunications Services. Woo hoo. That will work about s well as the doctors who work for the insurance companies in the US, I'm betting.

Quebec, on the other hand, is escaping my wrath this time: they're actually DOING something. They're restricting companies from being able to charge HUGE cancellation fees for ending a contract early. They will be limited to charging the amount of discounts for inexpensive phones given to the customer. If you didn't receive a cheap phone as an incentive, the limit for termination is $50. Contracts also can't be changed mid-stream without giving the customer 30 days notice, and allowing them to terminate the contract without penalty.

The wireless whiners, though, are complaining bitterly, and threatening not to bring the latest phones into Quebec.

You can read more about the changes here.