View source for System access fee

{{About|Canadian telephone charges|UK charges for special-rate services| Telephone numbers in the United Kingdom#Access charge and service charge}}
{{more citations needed|date=April 2011}}
The '''system access fee''' is a non-governmental [[fee|surcharge]] imposed by most Canadian telephone companies on their customers' monthly bills.<ref name="cbc">{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/pre-2007/files/services/cellphones/accessfee.html |title=CBC Marketplace: Cellphone Secrets |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100323064207/http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/pre-2007/files/services/cellphones/accessfee.html |archive-date=March 23, 2010 }}</ref> Although it is normally charged for wireless services, [[Rogers Communications]] and the now-defunct [[Sprint Canada]] also charged its home phone customers a system access fee.

Price for the system access fee varies by carrier and date it was applied with Bell charging between [[Can$]]8.95 and $6.95. Rogers normally amounts to $6.95/month (the System Access Fee on Rogers Home Phone Services was $5.95/month,<ref name="rogers_home_phone">{{cite news| url=https://www.thestar.com/Business/article/296938 | location=Toronto | work=The Star | title=TheStar.com – Business – Rogers bumps up phone fees}}</ref> but has since been merged to the base price). For example, if a wireless plan has been advertised at $20/month, the customer subscribing to it would actually be paying an unadvertised rate of at least $26.95/month, excluding other fees and government taxes.

==Government Regulatory Recovery Fee==
Since October 5, 2009, [[Rogers Wireless]] has increased the base cost of all of its monthly plans by $5, and also renamed their former System Access Fee to Government Regulatory Recovery Fee (GRRF). This fee currently ranges from $1.93 to $3.35, depending on the wireless service selected. Rogers clarifies in its fine print that the GRRF "is not a tax or charge the government requires Rogers to collect."<ref name = "RogersGRRF">[http://www.rogers.com/web/Rogers.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=NEW_GCT&_nfls=true&setLanguage=en&template=grrf THE GOVERNMENT REGULATORY RECOVERY FEE]</ref>

In a press release issued by [[Virgin Mobile Canada]] (at the time a joint venture between Rogers' chief competitor [[Bell Canada]] and the [[Virgin Group]]), Virgin Group chairman [[Richard Branson]], criticized Rogers' Government Regulatory Recovery Fee.<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.virginmobile.ca/vmc/en/whyChooseUs/vmc_news_0037.html
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20091114053726/http://www.virginmobile.ca/vmc/en/whyChooseUs/vmc_news_0037.html
|title = RICHARD BRANSON CHALLENGES CANADIAN MOBILE COMPANIES TO STOP MAKING UP FEES!
|date = 2009-11-04 | archivedate=2009-11-14 | last1 = Faltous | first1 = Erica | accessdate = 2012-08-13}}</ref>

On July 4, 2012, Rogers Wireless included the non-optional and non-governmental GRRF in the price for their monthly plans, such that the charge is no longer listed separately.<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://mobilesyrup.com/2012/07/04/rogers-says-new-customers-will-not-pay-the-grrf-but-charges-will-be-rolled-into-the-monthly-service-fee/
|title = Rogers says new customers will not pay the GRRF, but charges will be rolled into the monthly service fee | publisher = Mobile Syrup
|date = 2012-07-04 | last1 = Hardy | first1 = Ian | accessdate = 2012-08-13}}</ref>  [[Bell Mobility]]'s monthly plans are similar to Rogers', so a $2 increase can be found on those plans if client does not subscribe to online billing.

==Criticism==
The Canadian Government has required Canadian cellular carriers to make it clear that the SAF is not required for any regulatory or government purpose.  As a result, the carriers claim that the system access fee covers network operation and maintenance costs.  Some critics{{who|date=April 2011}} have argued that the SAF results in much [[price gouging]] and should simply be added to the advertised monthly fee instead of being a separate entity and that network upgrades and infrastructure maintenance are simply the costs of doing business. Thus, the monthly plan price point should already reflect that.

==Class action lawsuit==
In 2006 a class action lawsuit was brought against the major carriers with respect to the System Access Fee. After an initial rejection, it was certified as class action on 7 September 2007 by the [[Court of Appeal for Saskatchewan]]. Lawsuits in other provinces, such as [[British Columbia]] are also pending.<ref name="merchant">[http://www.merchantlaw.com/cellular.html Cellular Class Action ]</ref>

The [[Supreme Court of Canada]] released a ruling on 28 June 2012 that it would not [[Hearing (law)|hear]] an appeal of the Court of Appeal for Saskatchewan decision by the telecommunications companies.<ref name="rejected">{{cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/supreme-court-lets-19b-cellphone-lawsuit-proceed-1.1275665|title=Supreme Court lets $19B cellphone lawsuit proceed|publisher=[[CBC News]]|date=28 June 2012|access-date=2012-06-28}}</ref>

==References==
<references/>

{{Canadian mobile phone companies}}

[[Category:Telecommunications in Canada]]