Stop the Internet Price Hikes!

UPDATE Feb 18, 2020: This campaign is now closed! Thank you so much to everyone who signed the petition and took part in the campaign. The petition was submitted to Cabinet on Friday February 14 with over 19,600 signtuares on it. You can still use the form below to join our campaign to affordable Internet and get the latest news about Big Telecom's price hikes. 

Big Telecom has asked Prime Minister Trudeau and his cabinet to reverse a recent CRTC decision that led small Internet service provider to lower prices for tens of thousands of Internet users across the country.1 Smaller providers are now caught in legal limbo, waiting for lengthy court processes to decide their fate, and Big Telecom is refusing to accept the lowered rates. As a result, many Internet users have already seen a new spike in Internet prices.2

We can’t let this happen. The Liberals promised to lower Internet prices during the election, and now it’s time for them to show us they mean it.

Sign the petition calling on the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development to reject Big Telecom’s latest price-gouging scheme and uphold the Canada Radio-television Telecommunications Commission’s (CRTC) August decision to lower wholesale Internet rates.

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Back in August of 2019, the CRTC lowered the rates that big Internet service providers (ISP) like Bell and Telus can charge independent ISPs for wholesale access to their networks. This led to an initial drop in the cost of Internet for tens of thousands of people across Canada, but as soon as Big Telecom appealed the decision in the courts, and later through cabinet, some small ISPs were forced to raise prices again. This meant that the cost savings that many customers saw were stripped away due to interference from companies like Bell. 

This is not the first time that Big Telecom has thrown a tantrum when their massive profits are threatened. 

Right after the Trudeau Liberals were elected in 2015, Bell tried to monopolize Canada's fibre Internet infrastructure by asking the government to overturn a CRTC decision that solidified the right for smaller providers to have access to Bell’s fibre network. In response, nearly 80,000 people signed OpenMedia’s petition calling on the new government to uphold the CRTC's decision – and we won!3

This means that with enough pressure, we can stop these price hikes. The government already knows that Bell is a bully. And during last month’s election, the Liberals promised to lower Internet prices.4 Rejecting Big Telecom’s appeal is one way to show they’re truly committed to making that happen.

We cannot let Big Telecom take away the affordable Internet prices and faster services that we fought so hard for. 

We’re on the verge of something huge here. With smaller Internet providers lowering their prices for customers, Big Telecom will have no choice but to do the same to stay competitive. So no matter who your Internet service provider is, this decision impacts you! 

We must make sure this CRTC decision is upheld — sign the petition and spread the word!

Sources:

  1. Bell petitions Trudeau government to overrule CRTC on wholesale network rates: CBC 
  2. Big telecom companies win court battle in ongoing war with CRTC over wholesale internet rates: CBC
  3. Win! Canada’s Internet future looks bright as Liberals reject Bell’s fibre monopoly appeal: OpenMedia
  4. Liberals' election promises set to include cutting cell phone and internet bills: Financial Post

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Press: Laura Tribe | Phone: +1 (888) 441-2640 ext. 0 | [email protected]