Rogers fires back at Competition Bureau over wireless plan investigation

Rogers Communications Inc. is responding vehemently to the Competition Bureau’s investigation into the Toronto telecom’s Infinite wireless plan. The bureau announced Monday it has obtained a court order forcing Rogers to turn over documents. The bureau is alleging that Rogers is advertising unlimited data when it in fact throttles data speeds after customers attain a particular data cap. Anita Banicevic of Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP is acting on behalf of the telecom. She submitted a response to the earlier messages from the bureau in mid-November. She asserts that the watchdog only became interested after Rogers took over Shaw Communications. “The public version of the application materials reveal that the commissioner has been investigating the issue more broadly for over two years without action, decided to investigate Rogers only in March 2022 and initiated an inquiry of Rogers only three days after the Shaw transaction closed but fail to explain or provide any rationale for the commissioner’s apparent singular focus on Rogers,” her letter reads. Banicevic said the only face-to-face meeting between the bureau and the telecom was on Aug. 16 of this year. Rogers’ request for more sessions was rebuffed. All subsequent conversation has been in writing. “However, written submissions are not a substitute for meaningful engagement and two-way dialogue,” she added. Rogers maintains the draft order is excessive and unreasonable. A request that senior managers provide all records is unnecessary and burdensome, it claims. “The estimated costs imposed on Rogers in connection with complying with the draft order will be in excess of $2.5 million to $3.2 million,” the letter continues. Equally burdensome is a demand for all records before June 2021, the telecom states. In July, Banicevic submitted another letter (labeled “with prejudice”) denying that Rogers’ advertising was false or misleading. She attached examples of ads from Rogers and its competitors spelling out what was being offered to consumers. The redacted missive says the vast majority of users effectively experience unlimited high speed data. The bureau claimed an earlier case against Comwave Networks Inc. set a precedent for this matter. But Rogers replied that Comwave hid its data cap information in fine print whereas it has been upfront about its Infinite plan. – Reporting by Paul Park at ppark@thewirereport.ca and editing by Phalen Tynes-MacDonald at pcreed@thewirereport.ca

Rogers fires back at Competition Bureau over wireless plan investigation

News | December 5, 2023

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Rogers fires back at Competition Bureau over wireless plan investigation

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