Oct 29, 2026
You hit play on a video during your commute into the office and, instead of streaming, it just keeps spinning. On an “unlimited” plan, that sudden slowdown probably isn’t a network glitch. It may be your plan doing exactly what the fine print says it will.
On Oct. 28, 2026, the Competition Tribunal fined Rogers $15 million over misleading marketing for its Infinite wireless plans. The ruling takes aim at a word almost every major Canadian carrier has leaned on for years: unlimited.
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Rogers isn’t the only telecom playing this game, which means the real takeaway isn’t about pointing fingers at one company. It’s about knowing exactly what your monthly bill buys — and what to do when a plan doesn’t live up to the pitch.
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What did the Competition Tribunal decide about Rogers?
The Competition Bureau, the independent federal law enforcement agency that polices misleading advertising, took Rogers to the tribunal in December 2024. The application alleged that Infinite marketing misled consumers by implying unrestricted data access, when exceeding the plan’s cap actually resulted in bandwidth throttling of more than 99%.
The tribunal ruled in the bureau’s favour. Rogers was ordered to pay a $15-million penalty, publish a corrective notice and cover the bureau’s legal costs, according to The Canadian Press (CP).
The bureau originally sought a $15-million penalty combined with customer restitution, proposing an alternate fine of $135 million if compensation was not mandated. The summary released so far doesn’t mention refunds, and the tribunal’s full reasons are expected within 10 business days.
Rogers, which says its plans helped eliminate overage fees when they launched in 2019, isn’t conceding. “We stand behind our advertising and are considering next steps,” the company said in a statement.
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Why isn’t ‘unlimited’ data always unlimited?
Most Canadian “unlimited” plans are really two tiers in disguise: high-speed data up front, followed by a crawl. That slowdown is called throttling, which happens when a provider deliberately reduces your data speed.
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Other Canadian carriers do the same: exceed your limit, and speeds drop to a crawl of 512 Kbps. According to CP, that slower speed is usually tucked away in the footnotes. The bureau has warned telecom advertisers since 2017 against promising unlimited services that come with caps or extra fees.
Rogers maintains that Infinite customers get so much full-speed data it might as well be unlimited for normal use. And for light users, that might actually hold up. But if you stream video, work remotely from a hotspot or share data across a family plan, the cap — not the label — is the plan you’re really paying for.
How can you tell how much fast data you’re really getting?
So, how do you find out what you’re actually paying for? It’s time to dig into the fine print.
Under the Wireless Code, set by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), the federal telecom regulator, carriers must give you a Critical Information Summary that reflects your contract. Look for these three details:
- The amount of high-speed data, in gigabytes
- The speed you drop to after that
- Whether hotspot use counts toward the cap
Next, check your carrier’s app or online portal for your last three months of usage. If you regularly hit the cap before your billing cycle ends, a plan with a bigger high-speed allotment may be the better value, even one not labelled “unlimited.” If you don’t even come close, you may be paying for data you don’t use.
Are you about to sign a new contract? CRTC rules give you a trial period of at least 15 days to cancel without penalty. To qualify, you have to stay under the allowed limit — which gives you at least half your normal monthly data — and hand back the phone in practically mint condition. People who self-identify as having a disability get at least 30 days.
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What can you do if your plan doesn’t match the ad?
If your plan wasn’t delivered as advertised, contact your carrier first. Do it in writing if possible, and keep screenshots of the ad or offer.
If that goes nowhere, escalate to the CCTS — an independent agency that resolves telecom disputes for free.
You won’t be alone in the process. The CCTS accepted 19,157 complaints between Aug. 1, 2025 and Jan. 31, 2026, up 61% from a year earlier. Wireless issues accounted for 56% of the issues raised.
You can also report suspected misleading advertising to the Competition Bureau through its online complaint form.
What to do now
- Check your carrier’s app for your last three months of data usage
- Find your Critical Information Summary and note the high-speed cap and throttled speed
- Compare plans by high-speed gigabytes, not marketing labels
- Ask whether hotspot data counts toward the cap before you sign
- Take advantage of the 15-day trial period if your new plan doesn’t work out
- Escalate unresolved disputes to the CCTS
Based on details released so far, the penalty won’t put money back in customers’ pockets. But it’s a reminder that a plan’s name is marketing, and the numbers in your summary are the actual deal. As then-commissioner Matthew Boswell said when the case was filed, “Canadians need accurate and truthful information when purchasing goods and services.”
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Amy Tokic is an SEO content editor for Money.ca. She holds a B.A. in Communications from the University of Windsor. Amy is an award-winning author and has been writing professionally for 15 years, publishing articles in the lifestyle and health sectors.
