Description: “That should not be the consumer’s responsibility.” That’s how Keldon Bester, from Canadian Anti-Monopoly Project, responded to government advice for consumers to switch carriers for cheaper cellphone rates. The controversy comes in the face of rate hikes from Rogers Communications and word from some consumers that Bell is also raising rates. Bester had previously criticized Rogers’s acquisition of Shaw Communications. One obvious problem with searching for another carrier is that Canada has a rather thin selection of suppliers to choose from, and one less, we might say, with the Shaw acquisition.

Date:  January 6, 2023

Source:  cbc.ca

 Link: https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/mobile-wireless-pricing-competition-1.7076073

Discussion points:

1) What kind of rates are you and your classmates paying? How do they stack up against the chart in the article showing the rates consumers are paying in some other countries?

2) If you were the industry minister in the Canadian government, what would you propose to lower the rates?

3) Page 4-4 of Wiley’s Understanding Financial Accounting discusses a challenge Rogers faces in application of accounting policies. What is the nature of this challenge?