Mazier’s internet-service bill has second reading

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This article was published 04/11/2022 (1069 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A private member’s bill that aims to improve rural access to more reliable high-speed internet service has received second reading in the House of Commons.

Introduced by Dauphin–Swan River–Neepawa Conservative MP Dan Mazier earlier this year, Bill C-288 would amend the Telecommunications Act to require broadband providers to give more transparent and accurate advertising of their services.

The bill received first reading in June and second reading proceedings began Monday.

Addressing Speaker Anthony Rota in the House of Commons, Mazier said the lack of access to quality internet services creates “devastating” impacts for rural Canadians.

“[Many Canadians] feel cheated, misled and ripped off by the internet quality they are paying for, [which is] nowhere near what they expected,” said Mazier, who was recently named shadow minister of rural economic development and connectivity in Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s shadow cabinet.

It’s important for consumers to be able to make purchasing decisions based on reliable information, Mazier said, adding that when it comes to making those decisions about internet providers, Canadians don’t have access to the most “accurate and realistic” information.

Internet companies currently advertise their speeds based on theoretical maximum numbers — the speed at which it would run under perfect conditions, he said. Advertising phrases such as “up to” are used to convince consumers that a service is better than it is.

“These theoretical speeds and performance metrics that consumers are provided with do not always reflect the actual speed delivered to them.”

The problem, Mazier said, is that current legislation allows internet-service providers to advertise their best speeds without providing consumers with the service they can “realistically” expect.

Data released by the Canadian Internet Registration Authority found that only one-third of Canadians believed their household received the advertised speed included in their home internet package all or most of the time.

Mazier’s bill would require internet-service providers to present a “reliable indicator of the speeds and quality metrics” that are in the public’s best interest.

The first step would be to require internet-service providers to offer “typical” download and upload speeds instead of theoretical maximum ones. Then, consumers would be provided with information about how their internet speed is working out during peak times, such as in the early evening.

“They will have to sell you the actual speeds you can expect while using the internet at peak period. So when you go on at seven at night, what can the average consumer expect from the service, for speed?” Mazier told the Sun. “It’s quality and quantity at that time.”

The third part of the legislation would begin a consultation process to help develop an internet-service provider framework made up of public hearings.

Developing an internet-service model that works for Canadians and clearly defining its criteria is imperative, Mazier said, calling access to accurate and transparent information the “bedrock” of consumer decision-making and protection.

Representatives from most major federal parties have vocalized their support for Mazier’s bill.

Bloc Québécois MP Kristina Michaud said she was particularly interested in the bill due to the rural region she represents.

“Where it is available … people are not necessarily given all of the information. Companies will say that users have access up to a certain speed, for example, when that is not always the case. It is not adapted to the needs of the service users,” Michaud said.

Supporting reasonable regulations in the interest of consumers is one area where MPs from across party lines can find broad agreement, said Taylor Bachrach, an NDP MP from northwestern British Columbia.

John Nater, Conservative MP for Perth–Wellington in southwestern Ontario, said he was “very excited” to support Mazier’s bill.

“The phrase ‘up to speeds’ and misleading types of advertising are simply not acceptable when Canadians are making important decisions about rural high-speed internet. We need to do more. We need to act,” Nater said.

The bill, said Winnipeg North Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux, had some “real substance” to it.

“All Canadians have seen the ads … [which] are plentiful with the whole idea of ‘up to’ a certain speed. A consumer looking at that would think that sounds awfully fast. For many consumers like me, it is hard to get an appreciation of how fast that actually is, let alone after factoring in the different times of day or a peak period versus three o’clock in the morning.”

Lamoureux went on to say that the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), an independent public authority in charge of supervising Canadian broadcasting and telecommunications, needs to chime in on the issue of internet-service advertising.

The Sun contacted the CRTC for comment but didn’t receive a reply by press time.

The next step for Mazier’s bill is for it to enter the second hour of its reading, which is scheduled to take place later this month at the House of Commons. During that time, Mazier will have the opportunity to give another 15-minute speech and hold a five-minute question-and-answer period with other MPs. After that, it will be up for debate.

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