Following the CRTC Telecom Notice of Consultation 2024-293 “Making it easier to choose a wireless phone or Internet service – Enhancing customer notification”, the Samuelson-Glushko Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC) submitted an intervention on behalf of OpenMedia.
Inspired by Ontario Commissioner Bram Abramson’s dissenting opinion, the intervention highlighted the need for a more data-driven approach to consumer protection and better information to help Canadians make informed decisions about their mobile wireless services. Supporting OpenMedia’s position, CIPPIC argued that the CRTC’s current approach falls short in addressing transparency issues and called for standardized “nutrition labels” for mobile wireless services. These labels would offer clear, machine-readable information and include details on the environmental impact and durability of mobile devices, fostering more informed purchasing decisions and a more competitive telecom marketplace.
CIPPIC's submission is available here.
In a parallel proceeding, CRTC Telecom Notice of Consultation 2024-318, “Making it easier for consumers to shop for Internet services,” Professor Marina Pavlović, a Faculty member at the Centre for Law, Technology and Society, with a group of JD students from her research team—Adam Mawji, Mercedes Parsons, and Benjamin Surmachynski—submitted an intervention advocating for enhanced broadband consumer labels.
Their submission proposed traffic-light-inspired labels for quick service quality assessment and called for standardized placement and display requirements to ensure accessible information. Key recommendations included the mandatory disclosure of latency, jitter, packet loss, and data caps to provide a fuller picture of broadband performance, along with strong enforcement mechanisms and consumer education efforts to prevent misleading practices by Internet service providers.
Professor Marina Pavlović and her research team submission is available here
Both interventions emphasize the importance of clear, consistent, and enforceable labeling across telecommunications services, urging the CRTC to adopt consumer-first policies that promote fair competition and empower Canadians with better information when choosing their service providers.