Shopping for home internet in Canada often involves two numbers that can be difficult to compare: the promotional price advertised in large print and an “up to” speed that may not describe what customers actually receive during busy hours.

The CRTC has now created new rules aimed directly at both issues.

Beginning March 10, 2027, internet service providers will have to give consumers clearer information about typical speeds, latency and the full price that applies after temporary discounts expire.

What is changing?

In Telecom Regulatory Policy CRTC 2026-238, the regulator amended Canada’s Internet Code and established new disclosure requirements for fixed internet providers.

The biggest changes affect three areas consumers can actually use when comparing plans:

typical download and upload speeds, latency and pricing after promotions end.

The new protections take effect March 10, 2027.

Providers will have to show typical speeds, not only “up to” speeds

Internet advertising frequently emphasizes maximum speeds with language such as “up to 1 Gbps.”

The CRTC concluded that this does not necessarily give consumers a clear picture of the speed they should realistically expect.

Under the new rules, providers must disclose the typical download and upload speeds they commit to delivering.

Those typical speeds will also become key contract terms.

That means the number is not merely another marketing estimate. It becomes part of the service commitment associated with the customer’s plan.

What does “typical speed” mean?

The CRTC decided against defining typical speed simply as an average or median measurement.

Instead, the typical speed will represent the speed an internet provider commits to making available to the customer.

Outside peak periods, the provider is expected to deliver 100% of that committed typical speed.

During peak periods, the CRTC says at least 95% of the committed typical download and upload speed must be delivered.

Peak hours have a specific definition

The new rules define peak hours as 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. local time on weekdays.

This is useful because home internet performance can look very different during quiet daytime hours compared with the evening period when many households are streaming, gaming, working and making video calls at the same time.

Consumers comparing plans will therefore have information tied more closely to the hours when household internet networks are often under heavier demand.

Latency will also become part of the comparison

Raw download speed is not the only factor that affects how an internet connection feels.

Latency measures the delay involved in transmitting data between points on the network.

A connection can have high advertised download speed while still feeling less responsive during video calls, gaming or other real-time applications if latency is high.

The CRTC will require providers to disclose latency using ranges rather than presenting a highly precise number that may not mean much to the average consumer.

The initial ranges are:

• less than 50 milliseconds
• 51 to 150 milliseconds
• 151 milliseconds or more

Latency will also become a key contract term.

The full price after a promotion must be easier to see

Temporary discounts are another common source of confusion when comparing Canadian internet plans.

A provider might advertise an attractive monthly price for 12 or 24 months while displaying the eventual regular price less prominently.

Starting March 10, 2027, the CRTC requires providers to display the full price that applies after a discount expires with equal or greater prominence than the discounted price.

Providers must also prominently disclose required equipment-rental fees before a customer signs up.

This should make it easier to compare what two plans cost beyond the introductory period instead of comparing only the first monthly bill.

Why the difference between promotional and long-term price matters

Suppose one plan is advertised at $60 per month for two years but later rises to $100.

Another plan might cost $75 without a large temporary discount.

The cheaper promotional price does not necessarily mean the first option is cheaper over the time the household expects to keep the service.

Maple Curiosity’s guide to lowering your Canadian home internet bill explains why comparing ongoing prices, required speeds and switching options can matter more than choosing the largest advertised speed number.

Consumers will have a clearer basis for complaints

The rule is not only about shopping before signing a contract.

Typical speeds and latency becoming contract terms gives customers clearer information to point to if the service consistently falls short.

The CRTC says that when there is a disagreement over whether the committed typical speed is being delivered, the provider will be responsible for demonstrating that it is meeting its commitment.

The Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services can already handle eligible internet service complaints and may award compensation in some quality-of-service cases.

What if your speed occasionally falls below the advertised number?

A single speed-test result does not automatically prove a provider has violated the rules.

Internet performance can be affected by Wi-Fi conditions inside the home, device limitations, congestion and several other factors.

The CRTC has therefore set a specific measurement methodology for compliance purposes.

Providers will use a sample-based method with measurements taken from the customer’s modem to an off-network measurement server connected through a Canadian internet exchange point.

The goal is to separate the performance of the internet service itself from problems caused only by an individual device or home Wi-Fi setup.

These changes fit into a wider set of telecom protections

The 2027 internet disclosure rules are not happening in isolation.

The CRTC has recently introduced or reviewed several measures intended to make it easier for consumers to switch providers and understand telecommunications contracts.

Maple Curiosity recently covered another change in Canada’s Broadband Fund and network reliability, where the regulator expanded the types of infrastructure projects that can receive funding to improve resilience against service outages.

That issue deals with network reliability at the infrastructure level, while the new Internet Code rules focus on the information individual customers receive when choosing a plan.

Cellphone customers are seeing changes too

Canada’s telecommunications consumer-protection changes also extend beyond home internet.

The CRTC has been examining switching fees, device unlocking and other cellphone practices.

Those issues can matter when comparing the cost of keeping an existing device versus signing another contract.

For the current consumer market, Maple Curiosity’s Best Cell Phone Plans in Canada 2026 guide explains the main factors to compare when trying to lower a monthly wireless bill.

What should consumers compare once the new rules start?

After March 10, 2027, four numbers should become particularly useful.

Look at the promotional monthly price, the full price after discounts end, the committed typical download and upload speeds and the latency range.

The plan with the largest maximum speed is not automatically the best fit.

A household that mainly browses the web and streams video may have very different requirements from a household with multiple gamers, remote workers and large cloud backups happening simultaneously.

Do you need to wait until 2027 to compare carefully?

No.

Consumers shopping today can already ask providers what the regular price becomes after a promotion, whether equipment fees are required and what speeds are realistic at their address.

The difference is that starting in March 2027, the CRTC rules will formalize how some of this information must be disclosed and make typical speeds and latency part of the contractual information customers receive.

For Canadians who have become used to reading the large promotional number first and the conditions underneath it second, that may make the next internet plan comparison considerably easier.