10 Things We Hate About Canadian Cable Companies

Service Monopolies
When it comes to cable TV, Canadians have pitifully few choices. On the west coast, Shaw reigns supreme, while in Southern Ontario and parts of the east, Rogers is king. Regardless of where you are in the country, chances are you've only got one or two options when it comes to cable. By controlling their respective markets, large companies like Rogers, Shaw, Vidéotron, Cogeco and EastLink are able to do, and charge, what they like.

AP

Ever Rising Costs (Bill Deregulation)
In April 2007, Minister of Industry Maxime Bernier ordered the deregulation of Canada's telecom industry - a move that allowed cable companies to drastically increase their service charges. Bernier insisted the new rules would lead to lower prices for about 60 percent of Canadians, but most analysts gloomily predicted the opposite, and in reality, cable rates have continued to rise.

duckiemonster, Flickr.com

Terrible Customer Service
Speak to anyone with a cable hookup in Canada, and chances are you'll hear a horror story. Waited home all day for a technician that never came? Been kept on hold for hours while waiting to speak to a representative? Told you'd have to pay for a mistake the company made? With few alternatives, these and countless other irritants seem to be the price we have to pay to watch TV. So notorious is cable company service, hate sites have popped up to emphasize the point. To join in the vitriol, check out www.ihaterogers.ca, www.ihatebell.ca or www.ihateshaw.com.

iStock

You Call That HD??
Since the introduction of high-definition cable in Canada, there have been numerous complaints about the quality of the HD programming on offer. Among subscribers, the biggest complaints concern the poor quality, 'zoomed in' image featured in local HD broadcasts, as well as awkward video cropping. In order to see 'true' HD programming, subscribers are forced to buy expensive add-on channel packages.

Matt Brett, Flickr.com

Canadian Content/U.S. Sourcing Rules
Now don't get us wrong: we are not against Canadian content rules. Broadcasters are required to fill 60 percent of all programming between 6:00am and midnight, and 50 percent of programming aired between 6:00pm and midnight, with Canadian content. The rules allow domestic shows to get air time, and helps support our local television industry. That being said, more than a few disagree with the quotas. Most opponents cite a lack of freedom of choice for consumers, as well as unease with government intervention in culture.

CP

The Death of Local News
There's a crisis going on right now in local television. The current rules allow cable and satellite companies to take local programming (i.e., your local news and weather broadcasts) without paying for them. The cable companies then charge you for the shows they take for free. With so many channels on offer, small broadcasters can no longer attract the same amount of advertisers, and are rapidly spinning into debt. To counter this, broadcasters like CTV, CBC and Global are launching campaigns to raise public awareness and request that cable providers compensate broadcasters for the programming they take. See SaveLocalTV.CTV.ca

raptortheangel, Flickr.com

Eager Bill Collectors
It happens to the best of us. One month you're swamped with life, and you get a bit behind on your bill payments. While it seems that the hydro and water companies can wait for your payment (I guess they're just a little more understanding?), the phone starts ringing right away just a couple of days past your cable bill due date. Add to that the now-illegal practice of negative option billing (services are provided automatically, and the customer must pay for the service or specifically decline it in advance), and it's clear the cable companies are interested in one thing only: your money.

iStock

Limiting Download Rates to Counter Internet TV
Statistics show most people aged 16-24 watch their favourite programs on the Internet instead of TV, and this trend has cable companies worried sick. To counteract it, Canadian telecom providers (cable, telephone and internet) have colluded to slow download bit rates in order to frustrate those attempting to download TV shows. This is particularly irritating here in Canada since many TV programs legally available on iTunes aren't accessible to those with non-US IP addresses.

striactic, Flickr.com

Dishonest Sales Tactics
To lure you in and sign you up, they'll promise the world. Hundreds of channels, stunningly real HD programming, break-neck speed Internet and flawless service. In reality, you get much less, and usually with a great deal of frustration attached.

Getty

Censorship
Though we're blessed with some of the most liberal censorship rules in the world, there are still a number of things you'll never see or hear on prime time TV. While we agree that profanity and nudity isn't appropriate during daytime hours, some cable companies have taken censorship a bit too far. In a move that drew numerous complaints, in 2008 Shaw Communications excluded OutTV (an LGBT station) from its free preview week, moved the channel into a block of pornographic offerings, omitted it from promotional materials and basic packages, and made it the sole by-request-only channel of its category, effectively requiring interested viewers to out themselves to the company. In December 2008, Shaw was ordered by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to carry and promote OutTV alongside its other channels, though for the most part Shaw has refused.

iStock