Most telecoms say no need for paper billing rules

Telecoms and broadcasters have overwhelmingly urged the CRTC not to intervene in billing practices, arguing billing formats act as “competitive differentiators,” while the majority of public submissions call for the CRTC to require telecoms to provide paper bills on request. TekSavvy Solutions Inc. was the only telecom to support the CRTC requiring paper bills be sent to customers who requested them, but said in its intervention that any action should be confined to “dominant service providers.” TekSavvy has repeatedly objected to being labelled a dominant service provider, and has formally requested to the CRTC that it not be identified as one, meaning it would not be compelled to provide paper bills under its proposed scheme. In its submission, TekSavvy said all customers should have the option to receive a paper bill for any reason because it was “the right thing to do,” and said incumbent telecoms who did not provide their customers with the option of a paper bill statement indicated a “lack of competitive pressure in their respective markets.” The Independent Telecommunications Providers Association (ITPA) said in its intervention that it did not have a position about whether new measures were needed to address the billing practices of large providers, but said there was no need to impose them on smaller providers because they were “keenly aware of the needs and demands of their customers” and would provide paper bills if there was a demonstrated need for them. The regulator launched a consultation about whether telecoms and broadcasters should be required to provide paper bills to customers in March, after it rejected an application from the Public Interest Advocacy Centre to require Telus Corp.’s flanker brand Koodo to do so. In its Part 1 application, PIAC claimed the only way for Koodo customers to receive a paper bill was to pay $5 for a “bill copy,” arguing other providers would follow Telus’ lead unless the CRTC intervened. In its intervention, Telus argued the range of different billing options in the market meant regulatory intervention was unnecessary, arguing such a move would also hinder technological innovation and be “inconsistent with legislative objectives and Cabinet policy decisions.” Telus also said its shift towards online billing was environmentally and customer friendly, arguing online billing statements provided a level of detail not possible with paper bills. Rogers Communications Inc. announced in March that it would also move away from paper billing, but said in response to a CRTC request for information that it continued to provide them for free to customers with disabilities and seniors who are not “tech savvy.” Its flanker brand Fido just provides paper bills on request to customers with disabilities, the company said. In its intervention, Rogers said there was no clear evidence that consumer needs were not being met through online billing or that providers had failed to put in place reasonable policies to safeguard vulnerable customers, meaning any CRTC intervention would be unjustified. “Given that service providers have on their own established such safeguards, Rogers does not believe specific measures are required,” Rogers’ intervention states. BCE Inc., which provides paper bills to any post-paid customer who requests them, argued billing practices were a competitive differentiator, and pointed to the environmental benefits of a general shift towards online billing. “We should continue to let market forces prevail and permit providers to offer billing in a manner of their choosing,” Bell said in its intervention, further arguing that if the CRTC did decide to mandate paper bills, it should only be for vulnerable customers. More than 50 submissions from members of the public, stakeholder groups and the government of British Columbia urged the CRTC to ensure that telecoms and broadcasters provided free paper bills to customers who requested them. In its intervention, PIAC said paper bills should be the default billing format unless customers voluntarily switched to e-billing, and argued relying on market forces was unlikely to resolve customer complaints about billing formats. The various policies regarding bill practices do not indicate innovation, but instead show all providers monitoring the actions of others and either slowly or quickly moving towards removing the ability to obtain a free paper bill, PIAC argued. “This would be less serious if large service providers competed on the basis of billing format. However, they do not. Advertisements and websites do not, at present, tout the ability to obtain a paper bill as a selling feature of any telecommunications or broadcasting distribution service. This is unlikely to change,” PIAC’s intervention states. B.C. assistant deputy minister Susan Stanford said a 2019 online survey on phone issues in the province showed British Columbians overwhelmingly wanted the option to receive a paper bill for free and said it was “appropriate and warranted” for the CRTC to impose requirements on providers to do so. Providers should also be required to provide ‘clear, transparent and accessible” information about their billing practices anywhere a wireless service could be purchased, Stanford said in her intervention. -- With reporting by Adam Langenberg at alangenberg@thewirereport.ca and editing by Anja Karadeglija at akarad@thewirereport.ca

Most telecoms say no need for paper billing rules

News | July 6, 2020

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Most telecoms say no need for paper billing rules

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