Quebec Court of Appeal will hear case on wireless roaming fees

Almost everyone has heard a story or knows somebody who has been charged hundreds or thousands of dollars in roaming fees while on vacation.

Canadians already pay more than most developed countries for cellular services, according to the CRTC, but roaming charges tend to run even higher, despite the apparent ubiquity of cellular networks.

This week, the Quebec Court of Appeal ruled that a class-action lawsuit over the cost of international roaming fees will be allowed to progress. The suit could potentially affect hundreds of thousands of Quebecers and all Canada’s major wireless carriers. Any consumer charged more than $5 per megabyte from 2010 onwards could stand to be included in the suit; some customers were charged in excess of $30 per MB.

The legal team working on the case has stated that wireless carriers have already been dropping roaming since the suit was filed, and that the case could be very important in terms of setting precedent in future cases.

Bruce Johnston, a lawyer involved in the suit, has said that unless an earlier settlement is reached, the lawsuit would expected to go to trial within two years.

[source]Toronto Sun[/source]