You don't fool me, Bernard Lord

Canada's cellular providers want you to know they're committed to helping consumers make informed decisions about their cellular service. Honest, they totally are. That's why they've developed their own industry created, self-enforcing code of conduct! Let's read more:

Canada's mobile phone companies will be required to make sure consumers understand their contracts when they buy a cellphone under a new code of conduct.

The code of conduct also says cellphone companies are to "communicate with their customers in a way they understand."

The rates, terms and coverage offered all have to be explained clearly to consumers, said Bernard Lord, head of the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association.

"In some cases, our members will have to change and adapt some of their practices to meet the code that is now in force as of today," Lord said Tuesday.

Much of the new code of conduct is already respected by cellphone companies, he added.

But wait, there's more:

But, Lord said the new code will give consumers the information they need to make informed decisions.

"This will mean good service, better service, easier to resolve complaints," he said from Ottawa.

Well that's great, the industry and Lord want to ensure consumers have the information they need to make informed decisions. I think that's just super of them, so kudos.

But, wait. Where have I heard Lord's name before?

Bernard Lord, the head of the CWTA and former Conservative premier of New Brunswick, said he did meet with Industry Canada officials to discuss the calculator. The CWTA's position was that the calculator was flawed since it did not take into account data plans, bundle discounts and hardware subsidies offered by carriers.

"The minister made the right decision, to not continue to dump good taxpayer money into a tool that was ineffective," he said.

Oh, that's right. Conservative Party insider and former New Brunswick Premier Bernard Lord is the telecommunications industry lobbyist who claimed credit for convincing Tony Clement and the Conservatives to kill the taxpayer-funded cellphone rate calculator that, independent of industry, would have given Canadians unbiased information to make better decision about cellphone contracts.

Industry Minister Tony Clement is taking fire for scrapping a taxpayer-funded online tool that would have helped consumers pick a cellphone plan, allegedly after being lobbied by the wireless industry.

The cost calculator would have compared rate plans from across different cellphone providers and was scheduled for a June launch.

The service was shelved just weeks before rollout after Clement's officials met with representatives from Bell, Telus and the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association, according to University of Ottawa law professor Michael Geist. The cellphone industry was afraid the service would eat into their revenues, Geist said on his blog on Monday.

While I'm sure there's some good things in this voluntary industry code, their actions kind of put the thing in a whole new light, no?

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Bernard Lord confirms he helped kill valuable consumer tool

In a follow-up to yesterday's news that the Conservatives caved to industry pressure and killed an online tool that would have helped Canadian consumers find more affordable cell phone plans, former Conservative Premier of New Brunswick, current industry lobbyist, and likely future Stephen Harper successor Bernard Lord has confirmed he helped convince the Conservatives to kill the tool:

Bernard Lord, the head of the CWTA and former Conservative premier of New Brunswick, said he did meet with Industry Canada officials to discuss the calculator. The CWTA's position was that the calculator was flawed since it did not take into account data plans, bundle discounts and hardware subsidies offered by carriers.

"The minister made the right decision, to not continue to dump good taxpayer money into a tool that was ineffective," he said.

While Lord and his industry friends may be happy with Tony Clement's capitulation, consumers aren't. While a spokesperson for Clement is desperately trying to spin...

"Technical limitations prevented the officials from building a tool at this time that captures the full spectrum of offerings available to consumers in the cellphone marketplace," she said. "The proposed calculator design only considered voice communications and text messaging. As this is an industry with ever-evolving elements, such as bundles, data and seasonal offerings, it made it highly improbable to ensure that Canadians were being presented with current and relevant data."

... their excuses are transparently feeble.

Liberal consumer affairs critic Dan McTeague dismissed the technical issues as an excuse and called on the government to explain the decision.

"If there was a significant problem in the implementation, it would have been discovered much earlier in the process," McTeague said in a statement. "Why is the Harper government against transparency? A significant amount of taxpayer-funded government resources had already gone into this project. This calculator is especially important during these belt-tightening times."

And the scale of this Conservative boondoggle is growing.

PIAC's Lawford, who used to work for a database company, said such extra charges could have easily been added on later, after a tool for calculating basic costs was set up. He estimated the calculator project has cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, possibly even reaching into the millions. The Decima user study cost $60,000 alone.

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