PIAC upset with proposed rate increases
The Public Interest Advocacy Centre says proposed rate increases for local service now before the CRTC would be "unhealthy for the industry and unfair to ratepayers who have no other choice for local service." The group is concerned that Bell Canada, Telus, MTS and Aliant are asking for rates as much as $35 per month, and in a submission to the commission last week, called the proposal "an enormous cash grab by monopolies who are already showing very healthy financial returns." The consumer group and its partners in the submission cite figures that indicate the telcos are earning greater-than-benchmark profits on their regulated services – as much as $2 per month per subscriber greater than the CRTC has deemed fair. The submission was made as part of the hearing into the existing price cap regime. More details.

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