Ticked about the high price of cell phone service in BC? You’re not alone

A sizeable majority of British Columbians say they're paying too much money on their mobile phone bills and they don’t have much faith that the government step in to help.

A recent Research Co. public opinion poll found that 72% of phone users in the province think they're paying too much for their service, according to a media release issued today, Nov. 29.

Residents of the Metro Vancouver area are those who are most peeved by the prices as 75% of them would describe their mobile phone bill as “expensive.” In Southern BC this goes down to 72%, 70% in Northern BC, 69% in the Fraser Valley and 61% on Vancouver Island.

The research shows that in Canada, two gigabytes of data costs approximately $75 with 58% of British Columbians surveyed believe the same amount of data would cost less in the United States.

“British Columbians aged 55 and over are keenly aware of the cost of mobile services in the United States,” Mario Canseco, President of Research Co, says in the release. “Three-in-four (76%) know that plans are less expensive in the neighbouring nation.”

In 2019, the federal government campaigned to reduce the cost of mobile phone and internet bills for Canadians.

Today, only 24% of British Columbians believe the Liberal government will “definitely” or “probably” achieve this promise.

BC MLA Bob D’Eith was appointed to work with the federal government to create more affordable mobile phone options. Roughly 26% of the province’s residents believe the provincial government will be successful in so doing.

Residents 55 years of age and older are even less hopeful with 12% believing the federal government will come through with a successful plan whereas 18% feel the same way about the provincial government.

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