Consumer groups demand CRTC address complaints over 'so lame' $25 basic TV packages

[Seth1968]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/crtc...able-1.3496574

"The telecom providers used every trick in the book to make [the new deals] as unpalatable as possible," he says.

How typical when you have corporate lobbyists (cash under the table).

The CRTC is a fucking joke. Money talks. Period.

[carson blocks]

As much as I feel cable is an absolute rip-off (I actually just cancelled mine after realizing I hadn't watched cable TV in months, and had a $200+ Cable/Internet bill), I'm not sure why the government is getting involved in the pricing. It's a luxury item, not a necessity, so why the government intervention? If the free market can dictate prices on food, housing etc, why not cable TV? 20 years ago you could argue they had a monopoly due to owning the coax, but nowadays Internet services and providers like Telus compete effectively without using it.

[E36M3]

It is not a free market. It is a heavily regulated market with massive companies that have monopoly positions.

Originally posted by carson blocks
As much as I feel cable is an absolute rip-off (I actually just cancelled mine after realizing I hadn't watched cable TV in months, and had a $200+ Cable/Internet bill), I'm not sure why the government is getting involved in the pricing. It's a luxury item, not a necessity, so why the government intervention? If the free market can dictate prices on food, housing etc, why not cable TV? 20 years ago you could argue they had a monopoly due to owning the coax, but nowadays Internet services and providers like Telus compete effectively without using it.

[bjstare]

Sweet jesus, this is ridiculous.

Buy an HD antenna so you can watch the news, then pay for Netflix, Shomi and Crave. You'll get way more TV for your money.

Or if having a huge selection of cable TV channels is that big of a deal for you, then sack up and spend $200/mo.

[ExtraSlow]

It's funny that anyone thought that the CRTC could effectively regulate this to start with. They are virtually useless in this modern era, and should probably be disbanded.

[Thaco]

no different than when they mandated phone companies to unlock the devices, $50 later... right, you can go to an independent shop, just as you could before, and do it for half that.

Or when they axed 3 year cellphone contracts... all it did was jack up the purchase price of phones on 2 year contracts, zero benefit to the consumer.

Only useful thing they ever did was require telcos to allow number porting.

[suntan]

Originally posted by Seth1968
http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/crtc...able-1.3496574




How typical when you have corporate lobbyists (cash under the table).

The CRTC is a fucking joke. Money talks. Period.

Corporate lobbyists influencing the CRTC. LOL.

They're just simply incompetent.

You do know about CRTC's rep yes? It's where they send the stupid gov't workers.

[schocker]

From what I have seen Shaw is doing the best on this. I was able to create pricing on their website with the packages I wanted and then I kept my 3 item bundle discount. Had considered telus but they don't let you check pricing on their website and instead you would need to call in.

[01RedDX]

.

[suntan]

Of course businesses whine.

Does that mean they actually gained influence?

You know that first link says "On October 21, The Globe and Mail reported that BCE Inc. was appealing to the then freshly-elected Trudeau government, asking the incoming cabinet to overturn a pro-customer July ruling from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)."

So the CRTC was so "corporately influenced" that they sided with the... um... consumer!?!

The second is nothing but a pile of useless rhetoric. I find it hilarious that fucking landlines are the basis for his comparison, because there was a time when it cost me $5 every fucking time I phoned my family long distance. And then eventually it got cheap (only 25 cents a minute! WOW!) but the monthly charge went way up from $12 to $25.

Good jorb CRTC.

[Xtrema]

Until they deem communication a utility and regulates as one, these kind of patch work rules will only make things worst.

[carson blocks]

Originally posted by E36M3
It is not a free market. It is a heavily regulated market with massive companies that have monopoly positions.

My argument is that it's not a monopoly anymore, and therefore doesn't need to be heavily regulated. If they're a monopoly, how have I watched everything I want to watch lately without turning my cable box on for months?

Regulated landlines back in the day, sure I can see that, as one company owned the copper and a phone is pretty much a necessity. Spreading that regulation to basic cellphone and even Internet access, I can maybe understand, to ensure even those on the lowest rungs of the socioeconomic ladder can still access government services, employment opportunities, etc., but regulated cable TV? Nope. Let the companies charge what they want, and let consumers feel free to give them the middle finger and cut the cord. They're not the only entertainment game in town anymore, not even close.

[suntan]

Yup And just do what cjblair said. I have a few friends that do that now. It actually works great. The OTA HDTV has incredible PQ because it's totally uncompressed.

[FraserB]

Cable TV and high speed internet are luxuries, not a right or a necessity. If you don't like the options you get for $25/month, buy a better package.

My bill went up $5 a month because of the morons who wanted this in the first place. If they succeed in forcing more changes, it will go up more.

[sabad66]

Fuck off with this shit.

Look what happened with the cell phone plans... people crying about 3 year contracts and now we are stuck with ridiculously expensive 2 year plans and next to impossible to negotiate good plans like before.

[carson blocks]

Originally posted by sabad66
Fuck off with this shit.

Look what happened with the cell phone plans... people crying about 3 year contracts and now we are stuck with ridiculously expensive 2 year plans and next to impossible to negotiate good plans like before.

It turns out your average consumer is borderline retarded and clapped like a circus seal when they found out they could have a new phone every 2 years, without stopping to think that an expensive consumer good financed over two years is more per month than the same item financed over 3 years. I've stopped trying to explain to people when they say "I love the new rules that I can get a new iphone every 2 years now, but the plans seem a lot more expensive."

[HiTempguy1]

Originally posted by carson blocks


My argument is that it's not a monopoly anymore, and therefore doesn't need to be heavily regulated.

They are an oligopoly.

When multiple competitors all offer the exact same services at the exact same prices, it's an oligopoly. Especially when they work to actively crush any competition that threatens to mess it up.

You being able to watch "whatever you want whenever" is not the same thing. Cable and internet have to be viewed separately because they aren't really allowed to compete against each other. If they actually did, cable wouldn't be a thing. Really, cable TV is only kept alive by the fact that most cable companies are also internet providers.

TV is so out of whack with the modern age. I can't understand any need to have cable anymore besides for cable companies having contracts on lock to keep certain programs on cable only (looking at you sports events).

Originally posted by FraserB
Cable TV and high speed internet are luxuries, not a right or a necessity. If you don't like the options you get for $25/month, buy a better package.

My bill went up $5 a month because of the morons who wanted this in the first place. If they succeed in forcing more changes, it will go up more.

Well, internet has been made a right in some countries. Honestly, the potential of somebody without the internet vs with in this day and age would be staggering over growing up over 18 years. My current business would not be anywhere near as successful as it has been so far without the internet.

Originally posted by carson blocks


It turns out your average consumer is borderline retarded and clapped like a circus seal when they found out they could have a new phone every 2 years, without stopping to think that an expensive consumer good financed over two years is more per month than the same item financed over 3 years. I've stopped trying to explain to people when they say "I love the new rules that I can get a new iphone every 2 years now, but the plans seem a lot more expensive."

Actually, a lot of the price spikes have gone down, you can still get tons of "free" phones. Additionally, what the telco's probably realized was that people that break their phones still do so WELL under 2 years, and those people keep buying new phones (or will pay anything for the latest and greatest anyways). So the $0 phones still are only an attraction for us cheapasses, and we'll go elsewhere if they don't give us the deal.

[suntan]

* HIGH SPEED internet *

The only reason I have Telus 25 at home is because I need the upstream speed for VPN.