Should Telecom Companies Give You Refunds When Your Service Goes Down?

Official title: Share your thoughts about consumer protections in the event of a service outage or disruption

Closed Regulations & Permits Finance & Consumer Technology & Digital
The CRTC asked Canadians whether phone, internet, and TV providers should be required to give refunds or bill credits when service goes down. They also wanted to know what information companies should provide during outages and how quickly they should communicate with customers.

Why This Matters

Ever lost internet for a day and still paid full price? This consultation looked at whether that should change. If you've been stuck without phone service during an emergency, or missed work because your internet went down, the CRTC wanted to hear about it.

What Could Change

New rules could require telecom companies to automatically credit your bill when service goes down. Providers might also have to send timely updates during outages explaining what's happening and when service will return. These protections could apply to both planned maintenance and unexpected outages.

Key Issues

  • Should customers automatically receive refunds or bill credits for outages?
  • What information should providers give customers during an outage?
  • Should protections apply to both planned and unplanned outages?
  • How can providers better communicate about planned maintenance?

How to Participate

  1. This consultation is now closed. You can review the comments that were submitted during the consultation period.
  2. Read the Notice of Consultation for full details on what was proposed.

What Happened

The consultation ran from September 4 to November 13, 2025. Comments were received online, by mail, and by fax. The submitted interventions are available for public review.

Key Documents