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August 29th, 2014

NDP convinces telecom companies to end some “pay-to-pay” fees

After years of fighting to end “pay-to-pay” fees, the NDP is pleased that telecommunications companies have agreed not to gouge certain customers, but is still pushing for an outright ban on this unfair cash grab.

“Not charging some consumers is a step in the right direction but it’s taken far too long to see action on something that is really an easy fix,” said NDP MP Andrew Cash (Davenport) who has led the fight to end these fees. “Instead of punishing Canadians who receive paper bills, reward customers who switch to online billing.”

The telecommunication industry has agreed not to charge seniors, persons with disabilities, people without Internet access and members of the military. However this appears to be a voluntary decision with no method of ensuring compliance. Conservatives have failed to deliver on their 2013 promise to end all “pay-to-pay” policies and their planned legislation will only apply to the telecommunication sector.

“The Conservatives can’t be trusted to protect consumers,” said Cash. “We’re looking forward to seeing their bill but we’ve learned that with this government, the devil is in the detail.”