National Code Coming For Cell Phone Contracts

Bottom Line: Help is on its way for consumers who have difficulty with (read 'tear their hair out over') cell phone contracts. While some provinces had already started legislating in this area (each with its own approach), on October 8, 2012, the CRTC announced that it will hold a public hearing on January 28, 2013 to canvass what should be included in a national CRTC code for cell phone contracts. The discussion will no doubt cover what constraints, if any, there should be on penalties for cancelling wireless contracts, and what disclosures should be contained in ads and contracts, among other meaty issues. As for how provincial legislation and the CRTC code will co-exist, that will be a lovely issue for the lawyers.