CRTC aims to tackle ‘bill shock’ with new customer notification rules

The CRTC is updating its requirements around the notice telecom service providers must give to customers 90 days before their contract ends. The new rules, stemming from changes made to the Telecommunications Act in 2024, are meant to give Canadians more warning before getting hit with the “bill shock” of higher mobile and internet charges. They are set to come into effect on April 13, 2027. From then on, 90-day notices will have to include a hyperlink to a list of plans available for purchase, and information on where customers can find the company’s self-service mechanism to help them select a new plan. For customers renting a device, the notice must also include information about their options to return the device, or — if they want to keep it — how much their final payment will cost. Service providers will also be required to send a separate notification to customers 90 days before a discount or promotion ends. To “limit the administrative burden on service providers and minimize information overload,” this requirement only applies to discounts more than three months long. Finally, providers will also have to notify customers roaming internationally when their mobile data charges reach $50, and include information about their roaming options. Telecom service providers must send these notices “using a customer’s selected method of delivery,” said the CRTC, such as email, text message, or postal mail. As these protections are part of the Wireless Code and the Internet Code, the CRTC highlighted that any service provider subject to the codes will have to comply with the new rules. The regulator said it plans on launching a proceeding “to harmonize the consumer protection codes,” and intends to “examine whether to expand the application of the Codes to other providers.” This is the latest in a series of consumer protection measures being rolled out by the CRTC. Last month, the regulator issued a ban on cancellation and activation charges for consumers transferring to another service provider. According to the commission, a new policy on self-service mechanisms “will be published shortly.” news@thewirereport.ca

CRTC aims to tackle ‘bill shock’ with new customer notification rules

Regulatory |
By Wire Report Staff
|April 13, 2026

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CRTC aims to tackle ‘bill shock’ with new customer notification rules

Regulatory | By Wire Report Staff |April 13, 2026

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By Wire Report Staff
|April 13, 2026