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Although Canadians are using the internet more than ever, high costs are forcing many to limit their online activity, according to new research from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). Rising prices have led about 20% of internet users to reduce their usage, even as overall online engagement has climbed sharply over the past five years.
A survey commissioned by EKOS found that only about one-third of Canadians are satisfied with the price of their home internet connection. A similar proportion expressed dissatisfaction with the speed and reliability of their service. Respondents also pointed to limited capacity, noting that Canadian providers are among the few in the OECD that still enforce data caps.
Josh Tabish, campaigns director at OpenMedia, said broadband is already seen by most Canadians as an essential service. “The fact that only one in three are satisfied with the cost and quality of this service is unfortunate, but not surprising,” he said, citing the dominance of incumbent providers who control more than 90% of the market. “Study after study confirms we’re paying some of the highest prices in the world for middling service.”
Tabish added that OpenMedia has raised these concerns in submissions to the CRTC. He pointed to OECD data that places Canada near the bottom of affordability rankings—30th out of 34 countries—and noted that higher-speed tiers available elsewhere are largely unavailable here. “The market functions like an oligopoly with insufficient choice,” he said, linking limited competition to higher prices and fewer options for faster service.
Another report from the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS) documented more than 4,500 telecom complaints filed between August 2015 and January 2016, including 120 confirmed breaches of the Wireless Code. The most common complaints were misleading information about terms of service, incorrect charges, and inadequate service. Bell and its subsidiary Virgin together accounted for 42.4% of all complaints received by the CCTS.
These findings highlight a broader challenge facing Canadian consumers: growing internet demand amid persistent affordability and quality issues. While usage continues to increase, many users feel constrained by pricing, limited competition, and service limitations such as data caps, which can disproportionately affect heavy users and families. Advocates argue that greater competition, improved consumer protections, and regulatory oversight are necessary to ensure more affordable, reliable, and higher-capacity internet for Canadians.
Policymakers and regulators face pressure to address these concerns by encouraging infrastructure investment, promoting competition, and enforcing consumer protections. For households balancing budgets and digital needs, the availability of affordable, faster, and more reliable internet remains a pressing issue as online services become ever more central to work, education, and daily life.