Minister of Industry Stands Up for Consumers on Text Messaging Fees

August 08, 2008

OTTAWA - As I committed to on July 9, I have now met with the chief executive officers of Bell Mobility and TELUS and have expressed, on behalf of Canadian consumers, my serious concerns with their plans to potentially charge for unsolicited, unwanted spam text messages.

I also stated that in the current deregulated telecommunications market, our government has no intention of interfering with the day-to-day business decisions of private companies or with the choices available to consumers.

In my meetings with Bell Mobility and TELUS, I was assured that customers charged for spam could contact their service provider to have the charges removed from their bills.

Given these undertakings by Bell Mobility and TELUS, I would encourage consumers dissatisfied with existing plans to seek alternatives. The telecommunications market in Canada is dynamic -- choice is available. And, as many Canadians are aware, our government is taking steps to ensure there is greater competition through the recent Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) spectrum auction. It was designed to create a more competitive market with more choice, better services and lower prices for consumers. Based on the level of competitive bidding that took place, we think we are well on our way to achieving those goals.

I have also instructed my officials to monitor market activity and to work with third-party experts to study trends and costs in the wireless market. These studies will be made available to the public on an ongoing basis to empower consumers to make informed decisions.