The CRTC is reviewing the consumer protection codes for wireless and internet service, and the country’s three biggest carriers have sent in their wish lists. MobileSyrup went through the interventions Rogers, Bell and Telus filed in August. Several requests would roll back protections Canadians have had for years.
Phone locking. All three want to be allowed to lock phones for 60 days. The CRTC banned locking outright in 2017 and got rid of unlocking fees at the same time. Bell and Telus cite theft.
Roaming caps. Telus wants the $100 cap on roaming charges scrapped entirely. Rogers wants it limited to pay-per-use roaming and wants the $50 usage alert dropped. Both rules exist to stop surprise bills after a trip.
Longer financing. All three want to finance phones over more than 24 months. Rogers says the limit hurts affordability now that people keep phones longer.
Clawing back sign-up perks. Telus wants customers who cancel a contract early to pay back the unused part of gift cards, credits or discounts they got for signing.
The carriers also asked the CRTC to reject a proposed $50 cap on home internet overage charges, to roll back mandatory usage notifications, and to make electronic contracts the default.
Why it matters: Some of these, like longer optional financing, could lower monthly payments. But a phone lock and no roaming cap would both make it harder and costlier to switch carriers or travel. That runs against everything the CRTC has done on competition since 2017. Watch for the decision.
