Clement kills cell phone plan information tool

[Pastiche]

http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2009/09/01/ClementKilledIt/

After spending tens of thousands of dollars creating and testing an online calculator designed to help consumers select their ideal wireless plan, Industry Minister Tony Clement killed the project weeks before it was scheduled to launch. Government records suggest intense lobbying this spring by Canada’s wireless companies, who feared the service would promote lower cost plans, played a key role in the decision.

Really disappointing. Apparently the system was finished and ready to roll out. It would have been a good tool for consumers such as myself to see what the best value cell plans were. Why is the minister standing up for shareholders of wireless telecoms above consumers?

[Byrns]

I can't imagine that list being easy to keep current.

[Phaneuf3]

kind of strange that they killed it once it was pretty well finished but this doesn't really sound like the government's job in the first place.

[Shawnski]

...

[mykalberta]

Why were they making this in the first place. The government should not be in the buisness of trying to find consumers a better cell phone deal.

All these govt pork barrel make work projects, just go to howard forums or rfd if you want the best wireless deals. Why are my tax dollars being spent on such garbage. I have paid over 13K thus far in taxes this year, and its going to this BS. I can find my own cell phone plan thank you very much.

[DESS]

I heard they cancelled this program so they could devote more resources to their coupon-clipping campaign. That would probably save us more money than this bizzaro initiative.

[longsuffering]

Originally Posted by mykalberta

Why were they making this in the first place. The government should not be in the buisness of trying to find consumers a better cell phone deal.

All these govt pork barrel make work projects, just go to howard forums or rfd if you want the best wireless deals. Why are my tax dollars being spent on such garbage. I have paid over 13K thus far in taxes this year, and its going to this BS. I can find my own cell phone plan thank you very much.

So it's no big deal that Canadians pay the highest average voice and data rates for cell phone service in the civilized world?

I would think any tool that identifies cost savings and applies downward pressure on pricing would be welcome.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by longsuffering

So it's no big deal that Canadians pay the highest average voice and data rates for cell phone service in the civilized world?

I would think any tool that identifies cost savings and applies downward pressure on pricing would be welcome.

So what you're saying is that you want to pay less for cellphone rates, but you're ok with the idea of the gov't taking more of your tax dollars to set up programs like this?

[mykalberta]

We also live in one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world and yet we are some of the most spoiled citizens in the world who think we deserve the same thing as a much more densly populated areas. In Calgary, if you advocate denser living, someone from Sask will bite your head off because they likely living on a farm when they were younger.

To compare us to the US is crazy, and anyone who compares us to Europe or Japan is on good ole Vancouver heroin drugs.

They already spend my tax dollars so stupidly, if there was a market for this someone would create a website and sell advertising on it - much like the gas price site. This is a classic Central Canada make work project for unionized government employees who's jobs should likely have been cut but wernt so they needed to find them something to do.

[Pastiche]

I'm surprised how many people think setting up a program like this is such a bad idea.

[LChoy]

Originally Posted by mykalberta

We also live in one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world and yet we are some of the most spoiled citizens in the world who think we deserve the same thing as a much more densly populated areas. In Calgary, if you advocate denser living, someone from Sask will bite your head off because they likely living on a farm when they were younger.

To compare us to the US is crazy, and anyone who compares us to Europe or Japan is on good ole Vancouver heroin drugs.

They already spend my tax dollars so stupidly, if there was a market for this someone would create a website and sell advertising on it - much like the gas price site. This is a classic Central Canada make work project for unionized government employees who's jobs should likely have been cut but wernt so they needed to find them something to do.

If I recalled, people were freaking out when Bell and Rogers wanted to start charging more for text messages, and demanding governement intervention.
While this program was born out of good intention's, it probably grew too big to properly manage it. One of the purposes of government is consumer protection. Regulations and something like this would hardly be called a make work project

[SebC]

Originally Posted by Phaneuf3

kind of strange that they killed it once it was pretty well finished but this doesn't really sound like the government's job in the first place.

Government has a role in the economy when you're dealing with monopolies/oligopolies, as far as maximizing benefit to society goes.

[Shawnski]

Originally Posted by Pastiche

I'm surprised how many people think setting up a program like this is such a bad idea.

And I am surprised how ill-informed people are when they think the government should be able to solve their problems... like this one. What's next, we have a government program to compare Safeway, Co-op, Superstore and 7-11 for food costs?

Go ahead Pistachio, tell me WHY this is a good idea, and how you see it working.

Prentice was absolutely correct in sinking this project. I laugh at the fact it even got off the ground.

I am one of a handful of people in this country that could potentially make this work, and even I am in doubt of the logistics if every.... possible... star... aligned... every.... time....

It IS NOT F'N FEASIBLE!!! But go ahead, make my day. Tell me why and how you think this could work. I am in for the laugh.