Ottawa threatens regulation of text-message fees

WTF? So $.15 per text gets Prentice against the cell companies, but a $6000 price tag on an iPhone and he's all about protecting the right of the cell companies to lock the phone down?

Take a hike you two faced turd.

not quite the same thing is it. if you have a contract with a cell company and they change the rules vs somebody who is to stupid to realize 6000 for a phone is a rip off.
No reason for the govt to protect the stupid.

not quite the same thing is it. if you have a contract with a cell company and they change the rules vs somebody who is to stupid to realize 6000 for a phone is a rip off.
No reason for the govt to protect the stupid.
You never quite get it, do you. He's talking about a person who chooses to spend all that money BUT the government makes it illegal to unlock the phone and thereby protecting the carriers AND reducing competition.

I think the market should be completely opened.

Then we will see just how we are being gouged, if Telus and Rogers can't stand up and make it work, let them fall.

Protectionism has created a massive self perpetual network of inefficiencies.

This post was made by mtbr who is currently on your ignore list. Display this post.
You never quite get it, do you. He's talking about a person who chooses to spend all that money BUT the government makes it illegal to unlock the phone and thereby protecting the carriers AND reducing competition.

Admittedly the two aren't quite analogous, but Prentice is definitely not being consistent. If he's for the cell companies, he'd allow locking AND one-sided contract changes. If he's for consumers, he'd allow unlocking and give people the ability to get out of their contracts without ETF in the event that a carrier changes the deal. If he's just for good economics, he'd ban the practice of locking phones that hides the true cost of the device and is just another way for companies to make us owe them, and he'd also give people the right to get out of their contracts without ETF if the company breaks the contract first.

What Prentice IS doing is pandering to the pushers of ACTA by banning unlocking, but trying to get back some cred with the voters by giving them some BS notion he's on their side by pushing back against the text message thing.

Just another day in politics.

There is a hell of a lot more wrong than the text messaging..we are being screwed royally by these guys..

are you kidding me, I'm gonna start to pay for text messaging that isn't even being sent by me?...thats bull
Clearly cell phone companies just start to increase costs in some form or another because they know they can.
There needs to be some form of government regulation if prices are going to increase for stupid things.

Sure there is regulation, get a text package or don't get a cell phone. Soon regional carriers coming in from the wireless spectrum bid will force the market open to better terms but for now having the government do something for text messages is simply unwarranted and just pandering for votes.

OMG This must have just happened overnight..
Did you guys miss the "not big on regulations" part or did you just expect that to change in the last 2 years.

Good for Prentice to listening to the people, even if he had to have Layton lead him to the story.

well, please keep your head in the sand and pay 100% more just because it has a maple leaf beside it.

Good for you, but please don't pretend the rest of us like being bent over.