ITPA says it’s in favour of broadband labels for larger players at CRTC hearing

A consortium of small internet service providers (ISPs) has endorsed the idea of requiring big telecom operators to apply broadband labels to the services they offer, but the Independent Telecommunications Providers Association (ITPA) does not want those provisions to be mandated for small incumbent local exchange carriers (SILECs) such as themselves. The ITPA sent a delegation to the third day of CRTC proceedings on Thursday, June 12 which are looking at proposals to force telecoms to label their internet products so consumers have a better idea of what they are getting, by way of of a standard label similar to the nutrition label found on groceries. The group was made up of executive director Jonathan Holmes and three executives of member SILECs. “The ITPA supports a broadband label. Regulatory measures that promote greater transparency and informed decision making are a good thing for customers,” Angela Lawrence, general manager of Hay Communications Ltd., told the CRTC panel. “But they also foster competition. A pre-sale broadband label would be widely recognized as a significant customer-centric innovation by the commission.” She pointed out that the regulator’s Internet Code only applies to large players in the telecom market. The same logic should be used for labelling, she argued. She noted that most of the complaints registered with the Commission for Complaints of Telecom-television services (CCTS) are levied against the major operators. “Our members do not engage in the types of behaviour the commission is seeking to address,” she argued. “Quite frankly, if the largest ISPs in Canada treated their customers like we do, this proceeding wouldn’t be necessary.” Her colleague Ian Stevens, the CEO of Execulink Telecom Inc., said the smallness of the ITPA member companies gave further reason why they should not have labelling applied to them. “With very few exceptions, SILECs do not have dedicated regulatory resources which can be tasked with additional compliance,” he stated. “In most cases, the people at this table, the leaders of their businesses, and others in similar executive positions are responsible for the reporting.” Grant Roughley, vice president of North Frontenac Telecom Co., called upon the commission to widen the scope of the labels. “We believe you need to address bundling of services when considering labels because a significant portion of Canadians have bundled services that could include a combination of four telecom and broadcasting subscriptions,” he said. “Having a label that only addresses one of the services in a bundle is a recipe for customer confusion and an opportunity for the large service providers to play shell games with rates and terms.” Earlier in the day, Rogers Communications Inc. made its presentation to the panel. Like other big players BCE Inc., Telus Communications Inc., and Cogeco Connexions Inc., the Toronto telecom is opposed to mandatory labelling. “We are pleased to appear today to discuss why there is no need for mandated disclosure of multiple highly technical performance metrics or a standardized broadband label,” Dean Shaikh, senior vice president of regulatory affairs, stated. “Canadian consumers are already well informed about internet services and this additional regulation will likely complicate their purchasing decision, not simplify it.” The hearing was initiated by Parliament’s passage of Bill C-288, looking at internet service quality. Shaikh maintained the legislation was not intended to justify labelling. “When introduced and passed into law, Bill C-288 was about clearly and prominently disclosing typical upload and download speeds during peak periods,” he argued. “Rogers already discloses speeds in our marketing materials, on our website, in contractual documents, and in our customers’ online account information portal, keeping our customers well informed.” The proceeding is scheduled to conclude Friday with appearances from the CCTS, the Competition Bureau and the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC). ppark@thewirereport.ca

ITPA says it’s in favour of broadband labels for larger players at CRTC hearing

Regulatory |
By Paul Park
| June 12, 2025

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ITPA says it’s in favour of broadband labels for larger players at CRTC hearing

Regulatory | By Paul Park | June 12, 2025

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