Sat, 5 Mar 2016
openmedia.org
Subject: The $19 cell phone company you can’t have
Rogers and Bell are trying to block you from a brand new $19/month mobile provider.1 The CRTC is investigating right now, and we have less than two weeks to speak out.2 We already pay the highest bills in the world.3 We must show decision-makers how much we need cheaper cell phone providers. Tell the CRTC to stop Big Telecom while there’s still time. -Telecom giants Rogers and Bell are trying to block you from a brand new affordable cell phone service.4 Big Telecom already controls 90% of the mobile market,5 and forces us to pay the highest bills in the industrialized world.6 We can’t let them kill what few affordable options we have. Right now the CRTC is investigating, and we have less than two weeks to convince them not to cave to Big Telecom’s demands. Your OpenMedia team is even crafting an expert policy submission for the deadline. But we need to show how many Canadians are demanding greater wireless choice. Sign now and tell the CRTC: “Do not cave to Big Telecom’s demands.” Can we count on you to add your voice right now, Louis? Here’s the scoop: A few months ago, an innovative new startup called Sugar Mobile began offering wireless plans from just $19 a month – a price that customers of the Big Three can only dream of. The CBC even said Sugar Mobile could finally “shake up the cellphone oligopoly.”7 But instead of trying to compete fairly by lowering their ridiculous prices, Rogers decided to block Sugar Mobile from their wireless networks, in an attempt to paralyze the company and keep you trapped in expensive plans. Since then, The Mr. Burns Telecom Company (AKA: Bell Canada) has piled on to support Rogers’ efforts to wipe out independent providers.8 It’s a sad but familiar story: instead of playing fair, the Big Three prefer to use underhanded blocking tactics to block you from the affordable cell phone services you deserve. But this time, the CRTC is on the case, and we only have two weeks to stop this before the final deadline. Tell the CRTC: Do not cave to Big Telecom’s demands. Stop these giants from blocking new startups in Canada. As our last indie provider, WIND, was just swallowed up by Shaw,9 this case will be a litmus test for how the CRTC plans to handle the lack of choice in our wireless market. I’ve been speaking with dozens of Canada’s top telecom experts on this, and we’ll be putting a hard-hitting, expert submission on the CRTC’s public record — but we need you to lend your voice to help make this work. The stakes here are pretty high: if we win, innovative new entrants like Sugar Mobile will be able to operate on a level playing field. And that could lead to lower prices for all of us. Will you add your voice right now, before the crucial March 17 deadline? We don’t have a lot of time, and we’re counting on you. –Josh, on behalf of OpenMedia P.S. We’re already seeing a lot of media interest in this, because there’s a real chance we can finally win the change we need. Will you do your part by telling the CRTC you support affordability, innovation, and choice in Canada’s cell phone market?
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Tales from the Conspiratum 