Amid the workplace disruptions, household distractions and widespread unemployment brought by the COVID-19 crisis, it couldn’t be a worse time for consumers to face an internet price increase.
But some of Canada’s small and mid-sized internet service providers, and their national industry association, say they’ve reluctantly decided to hike prices or reverse previously announced price decreases at this time because of an unresolved battle with cable and phone companies. “And that’s a huge problem, especially right in the midst of a global pandemic,” says Matt Stein, chairman of the Canadian Network Operators Association, which represents 31 independent ISPs — sometimes referred to as wholesale resellers — that access their customers through