Bill 5 explained in plain English
Wireless Phone, Smart Phone and Data Service Transparency Act, 2011
Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Legislative Assembly of Ontario snapshot for 40th Parliament, 1st Session. Representative vote breakdowns appear when the Assembly publishes an Ayes and Nays page for the bill.
Our plain-language take, written for civic education.
Source: By PoliticalData.ca
The Wireless Phone, Smart Phone and Data Service Transparency Act, 2011, requires clear disclosure of terms, costs, and usage information in wireless service agreements and provides enhanced consumer protections.
This bill, the Wireless Phone, Smart Phone and Data Service Transparency Act, 2011, aims to ensure consumers in Ontario are better informed and protected when entering into agreements for wireless phone, smart phone, and data services. It requires service providers to present agreements in clear language, disclose all associated costs, and provide specific information about services, discounts, usage limits, and potential charges. The Act also includes provisions regarding the removal of technological restrictions on devices, consumer notification of usage limits, payment for services during repairs, and limits on contract amendments, renewals, and cancellation fees. Additionally, it sets rules for advertising prices and selling pre-paid cards.
- Applies to agreements for wireless telephone, smart phone, or data services where the consumer or supplier is located in Ontario.
- Requires that agreements be written in plain language.
- Mandates that agreements include detailed descriptions of services, goods, associated costs, usage limits, and any discounts offered.
- Requires suppliers to remove technological restrictions on devices under certain conditions.
- Requires suppliers to notify consumers when they are approaching usage limits or may incur charges for exceeding geographical limits.
- Prohibits charging consumers for services not received during repair periods, unless replacement goods are provided or the damage was caused by the consumer.
- States that agreements cannot be amended or renewed without the consumer's express consent.
- Establishes that expired agreements are deemed to continue as monthly agreements for a maximum of three months if not renewed.
- Allows consumers to cancel agreements at any time with 30 days' notice, with limits on cancellation fees.
- Regulates advertising by requiring prominent disclosure of total costs.
- Prohibits the sale of pre-paid cards with activation deadlines or expiry dates.
- Enables the Lieutenant Governor in Council to make regulations regarding the application of the Act to certain agreements.
- Consumers of wireless phone, smart phone, and data services in Ontario.
- Suppliers of wireless phone, smart phone, and data services in Ontario.
- The Lieutenant Governor in Council (for making regulations).
- Consumers have the right to agreements in plain language.
- Consumers have the right to clear disclosure of all costs, discounts, and usage limits.
- Consumers have the right to cancel agreements with 30 days' notice and limited cancellation fees.
- Suppliers are obligated to provide clear and comprehensive information in agreements.
- Suppliers are obligated to notify consumers about usage limits and potential extra charges.
- Suppliers are obligated to remove technological restrictions on devices under specified conditions.
- Suppliers are obligated to obtain express consent for agreement amendments or renewals.
- Suppliers are prohibited from charging for services not received during repairs.
- Suppliers are prohibited from selling pre-paid cards with activation or expiry dates.
- The Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.
- There is a transition period for agreements in effect before the Act comes into force, applying after three months or an earlier date specified by regulation.
- Cancellation fees for consumers are limited to one month's service cost or a calculated amount based on discounted goods.
- Suppliers may need to adjust pricing structures and advertising to comply with cost disclosure requirements.
- The enforcement provisions of Part IX of the Consumer Protection Act, 2002, apply to remedies claimed under this Act.
- The specific date after which the Act applies to existing agreements can be set by regulation under clause 2(2)(b).
- The exact calculation for additional cancellation fees for agreements involving discounted goods is detailed in the Act.
- The Act states that if there is a conflict between its provisions and another Act or regulation regarding future performance agreements, the provision offering greater consumer protection prevails.
This Act introduces new rules and requirements for transparency and consumer protection in agreements for wireless phone, smart phone, and data services in Ontario.
Source: Part I, Section 13
The terms and expressions used in the new Act will have the same meaning as defined in the Consumer Protection Act, 2002. Additionally, the enforcement provisions of Part IX of the Consumer Protection Act, 2002, will apply to remedies sought under this new Act.
Source: Part I, Section 1; Part IV, Section 10
Generated using AI from official bill text. Not legal advice. It is written by PoliticalData.ca for civic education, automatically checked and spot-reviewed before publishing.
Official textProcess Snapshot
Vote Summary
This bill is still active. We only show vote counts after the legislature publishes a recorded division.
No published representative vote breakdown
This bill is still moving through the process. When a recorded division is published, representative positions can be listed here.
Official sources
Status, sponsor, votes, and timeline on this page are drawn from these official legislative sources and public records. Each summary above is attributed to its own source.
How this data is sourced