Telecom - Commission Letter addressed to Dennis Béland (Quebecor Media)
Ottawa, 26 March 2021
Our reference: 1011-NOC2016-0293
BY EMAIL
Dennis Béland
Vice-President, Regulatory Affairs
Telecommunications
Quebecor Media
regaffairs@quebecor.com
Re: Inflation of Wireless Device Selling Prices by the Three Incumbent Wireless Service Providers ("WSPs") - Request for Immediate Investigation
Dear Sir:
In your letter of 10 March 2021, you submitted your concerns about a particular situation that you observed during your monitoring of the wireless services market. More specifically, you noted that the three incumbent WSPs (Bell, Rogers and TELUS) appear to inflate the retail price of their wireless devices compared to the manufacturer suggested retail price of these devices and you expressed your concerns about compliance of these practices with the Wireless Code (the Code).
Thank you for sharing your concerns about the compliance of these practices with the Code, particularly with respect to protections relating to early cancellation fees. The Commission takes compliance with the Code very seriously and is particularly concerned when it affects the affordability of services for Canadians.
As you know, all WSPs, including the three incumbents named in your letter, must file their annual Wireless Code Compliance Reports no later than 31 March 2021. These reports must confirm the compliance of WSP’s practices with all protections of the Code, including the protections related to early cancellation fees contained in Section G. This process will allow the Commission to identify all compliance issues, including those raised in your letter.
Rest assured that the information submitted as part of these compliance reports will be considered by the Commission to ensure that the practices of all WSPs comply with the protections of the Code. Based on the information received, the Commission may decide to initiate a more formal process if it is of the opinion that such processes are necessary in order to examine and address certain specific issues relating to the compliance of certain WSPs.
Sincerely,
Original signed by
Scott Hutton
Chief, Consumer, Research and Communications
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
c.c.: Bell (bell.regulatory@bell.ca)
Rogers (regulatory@rci.rogers.com)
TELUS (regulatory.affairs@telus.com)
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