You really don’t have to pay system access fees for long distance.
Despite assertions to the contrary (“it’s a fee that all the carriers charge”), not every long distance company charges a monthly minimum – you just need to shop around and pre-subscribe to a carrier that doesn’t charge system access fees. There are a number of them out there – including 1+ plans from the prominent dial-around firms.
Dial-around plans will still let you choose your carrier per call. And most of those companies offer very aggressive rates, especially for international calling.
All local phone companies are supposed to provide access to competitive long distance firms. However, some CLECs are dragging their heels in making competitive choice available to their customers.
No doubt, the CLECs offer decent rates for calling within Canada or to the US. However, calls to other destinations are often far more expensive than the rates offered by companies such as Yak or Telehop. Those extra margins on overseas calls go straight to the bottom line, so it is perhaps understandable why a carrier would delay implementing choice as long as possible. Especially when they can do so with little in the way of repercussions.
Yak has been trying to offer choice to Shaw’s customers for about a year and it has now asked the CRTC to intervene. Not only has Yak been denied an opportunity to operate its business, but it is arguing that Shaw’s customers are paying too much because the cable company has been delaying implementing this basic CRTC requirement.
Maybe their next step in getting some action would be to find a lead plaintiff?
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billing & collection, Shaw, Yak, Telehop