CRTC Appears To Do Something Right

Canada's telecommunications regulator has made it easier for consumers to switch between TV, phone, Internet and cellular providers.

New guidelines released Friday require satellite, cable and Internet providers to switch customer accounts within two days when a customer opts to leave for a competitor's services. The two day limit, which previously applied only to phone companies, is aimed at cutting through the red tape that could see consumers spend weeks trying to switch from one provider to another.

I suppose there might be something in the fine-print that makes these new guidelines less attractive than they first appear. But, honestly, getting out of my Rogers contract was the closest thing to visiting Bureaucratic Hell that I've ever experienced, finally involving a trip to one of their stores to retrieve an old password. The only thing that even came close was trying to cancel a subscription to a fitness club. So if everything here is on the up-and-up, kudos (for once) to the CRTC.