Canada's Telecom "Bill of Rights"

Only in Canada, eh.

I just wanted to note that our telecom regulator, the CRTC, has issued a "bill of rights" for consumers regarding telephone service.

The intentions seem consistent with the spirit of Internet Freedoms which proclaim our rights to choose our providers, access applications, have clear access to content, etc. It's a nice message, and am sure will assure consumers that the CRTC is acting in their best interests to ensure they can make fair, informed decisions about telecom services. Certainly for the mass market this is a good thing, as we now have so many ways of getting phone service, and most people don't live in VoIP-land.

How this plays out with the carriers remains to be seen, as clarity and fairness is not always their top priority, especially as the market becomes increasingly crowded with new offerings and bundles.

Fellow blogger Mark Goldberg is much more attuned to our regulatory issues, and I recommend reading his post for further analysis and context. In short, I agree with Mark - "set minimum standards, and let the marketplace decide".



Technorati tags: CRTC, Jon Arnold, Mark Goldberg