Call on cell phone providers to drop data caps during the COVID-19 crisis!

For hundreds of thousands of people in Canada currently social distancing, their cell phone data and LTE hubs are now their primary lifeline to the outside world. 

Yet Canada has some of the lowest wireless data caps in the world, leaving many people with very little access to the modern economy and their community during this crisis.1

Cell phone providers need to guarantee their connectivity now, ensuring that people in rural, indigenous and low income communities who either can’t access or can’t afford high speed home Internet can access their work, schools, government services, family and community.

Sign the petition calling on mobile network operators to support our communities during the COVID-19 crisis by:

  1. Dropping data caps
  2. Stopping data throttling on unlimited plans
  3. Stopping disconnections

This campaign is hosted by OpenMedia. We will protect your privacy, and keep you informed about this campaign and others. Find OpenMedia's privacy policy here.

To stop the spread of COVID-19, we need to stay home. 

This means that millions of people are now relying on the Internet to work, attend school, buy essentials, apply for Employment Insurance, and stay connected with their communities. But the reality is that 11% of homes across Canada don’t have home Internet, making them reliant on their cellphone to do all of the above.2

Many home Internet providers have already taken steps to end data caps and stop disconnections on home internet, thanks in part to the advocacy of many of you. We need mobile providers to do the same, to ensure low income, rural and indigenous communities who lack wired connections are not left behind by society and the economy during this time.3

You can see what actions these companies have taken to date in the table below:

 

  End data caps Stop disconnections Stop Throttling unlimited plans Waive Roaming Fees Waive long distance charges
Bell ? ? ? Yes ?
Telus ? Yes ? Yes ?
rogers ? Yes ? Yes Yes
? Offering flexible payment options ? ? ?
? Yes ? Yes Yes
? Offering flexible payment options ? Yes ?
? ? ? ? Yes
Iristel ? ? ? ? ?
Sasktel Yes, until April 30 ? No ? ?
Videotron ? ? ? Yes ?
? ? ? Yes ?
? ? ? Yes ?
eastlink ? ? ? Yes ?
tbaytel ? Offering flexible payment options ? Yes ?
? ? ? ? ?
     

Sources

  1. The state of 4G & 5G pricing, 2H2019: more-for-less - Rewheel/research
  2. 2019 Communications Monitoring Report - CRTC 
  3. How are Internet Service Providers responding to the COVID-19 crisis? - OpenMedia

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