NDP hails CRTC move to examine ‘pay-to-pay’ billing fees

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) is the latest body to respond to the growing outrage over fees that are charged to customers monthly just to receive their bills in the mail.

After discovering that many telecom and broadcast companies are charging anywhere between $0.99 and $5.95 per month, the CRTC announced plans to summon these companies to defend the use of such fees.

“These fees which force you to pay for the privilege of paying your bill, disproportionally hurt seniors, those without internet access, and families who are already struggling to pay their bills,” said NDP MP Andrew Cash (Davenport) who has led the fight against these fees.

The NDP campaign to put an end to these fees has received thousands of petition signatures from Canadians and support from consumer advocacy and seniors’ groups. In last year’s budget the federal government committed to prohibiting ‘pay-to-pay’ fees in the banking sector, though no legislation has been put forward to entrench this policy.

“Instead of rewarding customers who switch to online billing by offering discounts, these companies are picking the pockets of seniors and many others who continue to want to, and in many cases need to use paper bills‎,” said Cash, “If these companies want to do the right thing, they should simply end these fees immediately and treat their customers with respect.”