📉 Shrinking Choices. Growing Bills.
It’s not your imagination, your Internet bill has gone up. Your options have gone down. And that little voice in the back of your mind? It’s right. Something is off.
Over the past decade, Canada’s biggest telecom companies have been quietly snapping up the smaller, scrappier competitors who once kept them honest. And now, with fewer players on the field, the rules are changing.
📜 A Timeline the Big Guys Hope You Don’t Notice
📅 2015–2022: Bell and Rogers expand their dominance, acquiring smaller ISPs like MTS and Glentel.
📅 2022: Rogers announces its $26B acquisition of Shaw, further consolidating control in Western Canada.
📅 2023: Telus buys out Start.ca and Altima. Cogeco acquires Oxio, once a fast-growing indie favourite.
📅 2024: Bell quietly absorbs EBOX, another affordable alternative in Quebec.
📅 2025: TekSavvy wins a critical case over unfair wholesale pricing – a rare win in a system that too often favours giants.
Fewer choices. Higher prices. And it’s not just Internet. These same companies control a significant chunk of Canada’s TV, sports, and media including major teams like the Blue Jays, Leafs, Raptors, Toronto FC, and Argos.
🥫 Shrinkflation? Meet Billflation.
Groceries cost more. Packages got smaller. And Internet bills? They keep rising even when the service doesn’t improve.
You’re not imagining things. Just like shrinkflation makes your cereal box lighter, Canada’s telecom giants have reduced competition while raising prices all without improving what you get.
Why? Because these telecom giants aren’t just trying to maintain profits. They’re under pressure to increase them, every quarter. And when there’s no real competition? That pressure flows straight into your bill.
🛡️ It’s Not All Doom and Gloom
The good news? Not everyone is staying quiet.
In 2025, TekSavvy stood its ground and won a major pricing access case showing that the system can be challenged.
Oxio, before being acquired by Cogeco, made waves by pulling back the curtain on industry pricing, transparency, and shady practices. They sparked conversations that still matter.
And NetJOI? We’re still here. Still small. Still fighting.
🇨🇦 The Canadian Underdog
This is about more than Internet. It’s about control. It’s about choice. And it’s about what kind of country we want to live in.
Canadians are standing up across industries, buying local, supporting Canadian, and rejecting monopolies. (Want to understand how we got here? Read: Why Canada’s Internet Costs are so High?)
Because we know that when giants eat everything, they eventually come for more: not just Internet, but TV, phone, streaming, sports, media, and beyond.
🌍 What Would a Fairer System Actually Look Like?
We can’t promise exact savings, but we can paint a picture.
💶 In France, gigabit Internet plans start at around €25/month (≈CAD $36).
🇦🇺 In Australia, reforms created transparency and competition, helping consumers understand and lower their bills.
In Canada, if we had:
- Proper enforcement of wholesale pricing
- Real consequences for anti-competitive behaviour
- Clear rules to support small players and innovation
…we could unlock:
✅ Transparent pricing
✅ Less fine print and fewer gimmicks
✅ Lower base prices without sacrificing quality
✅ Small ISPs competing on service, not just surviving
We’re not there yet. But it’s possible.
📣 It’s Bigger Than Internet
This fight is about more than your monthly bill. It’s about the kind of country we want to live in.
When the same handful of companies control your Internet, your phone, your TV, your news, your teams, and your entertainment… what happens when they decide to raise the price?
Or limit access?
Or silence dissent?
Monopolies don’t just cost more. They cost us freedom, innovation, and control.
The more power we give up, the harder it becomes to take it back.
That’s why we’re speaking up. Not just for ourselves but for everyone.
🌱 Choose a Better Internet. For You. For Everyone.
Tired of rising prices, endless hold music, and shady contracts?
Every month, more Canadians are making the switch to providers that treat them like people — not dollar signs.
✅ Locked-in pricing
✅ No contracts
✅ Real people, real answers
✅ Service that doesn’t vanish after checkout
Start here → www.netjoi.ca/internet
Or explore your province:
✍️ Sign the Petition. Be Heard.
If you believe Canadians deserve fair, affordable Internet, not just inflated bills and fake competition, add your name.
Sign the OpenMedia Petition and help demand real competition and lower prices.
Even small choices like switching your provider, or sharing this article can make a difference.
The battle’s not over. And we’re not backing down.
