30-day notice no longer needed to change TV, internet and phones

Canadians are no longer on the hook for services they don’t want as the CRTC has deemed customers no longer have to give a 30-day notice to cancel or change their television, internet or landline telephone service. A similar rule for cell phone contracts came into effect last December.

In a release, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission said it is “prohibiting television service providers from requiring that Canadians give 30 days’ notice prior to cancelling these services.”

“By prohibiting 30-day cancellation policies for television, internet and telephone (including voice over internet protocol) services, the CRTC has made it easier for individuals and small business customers to take advantage of a competitive marketplace by switching service providers,” the CRTC said in a release.

It’s the first decision from the regulator’s Let’s Talk TV hearings considering whether to allow major changes to the way television is delivered to Canadians.

The CRTC expects television service providers to end the practice by Jan. 23, 2015, while it makes the necessary changes to its regulations. As part of the CRTC’s Let’s Talk TV conversation, which included a public hearing that began on Sept. 8, 2014, consumer groups and individual Canadians expressed a desire to see these policies eliminated.

“We understand the frustration many Canadians feel about having to give 30-days notice, even at the end of a contract term, to change their television, Internet and telephone service providers,” said the CRTC. “Some consumers end up paying two companies for the same service as they transition from one provider to another. In a dynamic marketplace, it should be easy for Canadians to switch providers given that service plans and offers are constantly changing. Today’s decision ensures that this is a reality for television, Internet, and telephone, as well as wireless services.”