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The federal broadcast regulator wants to help television subscribers understand their bills better as it rolls out new rules aimed at giving viewers more choice over what they pay for.
A draft version of the CRTC’s Television Service Provider Code of Conduct came out last March and was made official on Thursday, although it won’t be enforced until September 2017.
These are the six main things the code will require:
Give consumers information they need “in a format that is easy to understand,” including a list of the channels and packages they subscribe to.
Make it clear how long a promotional offer lasts, what the regular price will be when it ends, and set out any obligations that come with it, such as contract durations – for example, having to agree to a minimum six-month term.
For service calls, repairs and installations, give customers a an estimated time frame and tell them of any potential charges, while also providing information about how they can reschedule or make a complaint. The commission had considered mandating that window of time be no more than four hours, but decided it wasn’t realistic.
Make sure prices in written agreements are clear, and show whether they include taxes or other fees.
Give consumers 30 days’ notice of any change in the price of channels, bundles or rented equipment.
TV distributors will have to offer customers with disabilities a 30-day trial period to decide whether the service is what they need.
Although the code won’t be mandatory for more than 18 months, the CRTC is urging distributors to move ahead as quickly as possible.
“Providers are strongly encouraged to take the necessary actions now, so that Canadians have the information to choose the provider that best meets their needs,” said CRTC chairman Jean-Pierre Blais, in a statement. “Doing so may also prove to be a competitive advantage in the marketplace.”
The code is partly intended to help ease the process for viewers who want to take advantage of new packaging options that will soon be on offer.
By March, TV distributors must have a smaller, “skinny” basic package of channels available along with smaller bundles. By December, all channels must be available to buy individually on top of the small basic package – a long-awaited choice best known as “pick-and-pay.”
Agencies/Canadajournal
