“Get rid of the 36 months contract. The CRTC needs to protect consumers and ban any terms longer than 24 months.”

This comment is the “most liked” at the CRTC’s web site. It’s a response to a call for public help in writing a mandatory code for wireless services.

The second most liked comment is a lament about the state of competition, showing the prices for new wireless plans as almost identical among the big three carriers (Rogers, Bell and Telus).

Canada’s telecommunications regulator is changing. It’s going populist.

The online consultation about the wireless code is like a consumer gripe site, where people can air their views without using real names and vote on their favourite submissions.

Gone are the days when policies were written after consulting a few lawyers speaking for major interests. Under chairman Jean-Pierre Blais, the CRTC really wants to hear what the public has to say.

“There’s no question that we have to get out in the community to ensure we don’t become detached decision makers in an ivory tower,” he said at the Public Interest Advocacy Centre’s annual dinner in Ottawa on Nov. 30.

Appointed last June, Blais has created a new job of chief consumer officer. He wants to ensure that public perspectives are considered in all of the CRTC’s work.

Barbara Motzney, who assumed her position in October, is at the same level as the executive directors of telecommunications and broadcasting on the CRTC’s organization chart. She heads a team of about 60 people.

Motzney has a Concordia University MBA and has spent 21 years in the federal civil service. She recently oversaw two rounds of copyright law modernization at the heritage department.

“Canadians have a tremendous interest in copyright law,” she says. “We did national consultations, which were pretty cutting edge. We had a strong online engagement and a truly transparent process.”

She’s tried to create the same excitement with the wireless consultations, which ended this week (Dec. 4). They attracted more than 500 comments.

This sounds like a lot, but it’s a small fraction of Canada’s 26.4 million wireless subscribers. Consumers will get another chance to comment when a sample code is drafted and public hearings begin in February.

“It’s pretty complex,” she says about the request for comment on 12 separate issues. “I’m really impressed at how thoughtful the participants are. They’re contributing original thought.

“They’re not just being dismissive and saying they want everything free and no contracts of any kind.”

When asked how the wireless code should be promoted and reviewed to ensure it was working, people gave the CRTC lots of feedback:

Set up an online repository of all publicly offered price plans, including older plans no longer offered. They vanish from providers’ websites, making it hard to check bills for accuracy.

Measure stress and productivity levels as a sign of the code’s success. Dealing with telecom providers can be stressful and time-wasting. If customers were treated better, Canadian health care costs may decline.

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Make carriers handle complaints as quickly as they handle new subscriptions. Calling support can take at least 30 minutes and requires follow-up, while money gets charged in the blink of an eye.

Do annual audits to ensure carriers comply with the code. Post results on the CRTC’s website.

Don’t allow carriers to participate in auctions of new spectrum if they repeatedly violate the code.

Motzney says being an outsider has advantages. She looks at the CRTC through a consumer lens, reviewing its policies and the friendliness of how it works.

“It can be pretty intimidating,” she says. “I remember years ago, going in as a broadcasting analyst with my little notebook, facing men in suits sitting on a raised podium.”

As well as rearranging the seating, she wants to communicate in a way that is easier for average Canadians to understand.

“We can do a better job of telling the story,” she says about the way that CRTC decisions are written, linking backward to historical decisions instead of standing on their own.

It also means using less jargon, such as “forbearance,” which means deregulating the price of telecom services once a healthy level of marketplace competition is reached.

Canadian families spend $2,100 a year on communication services — their sixth largest expense and about the same as what they pay for health care, Blais said in his speech to the consumer group.

That underscores the urgency of bringing more people into the CRTC’s public proceedings. Let’s hope some fresh thinking can raise participation beyond a small group of industry insiders.

Ellen Roseman writes about personal finance and consumer issues. You can reach her at eroseman@thestar.ca or www.ellenroseman.com

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