Canadians will no longer have the right to request a printed phone book, after federal regulators ruled the directories obsolete.The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) ended the requirement this week, siding with Telus Communications, which petitioned in May to drop the obligation. Blacklock's Reporter says since 2016, phone companies have only been required to provide the directories on request, though that provision has now been scrapped.“Directory information can now be more readily found by digital means,” the CRTC wrote in Telecom Order 2025-253, adding that regulation should shift from “voice-centric” to “broadband-centric.”One commissioner dissented, warning the decision ignores Canadians who still rely on landlines. .Toronto lawyer argued that in rural and remote communities, phone books remain essential. “Until wireless and broadband improve, should we not make an effort to hear from those most likely to depend on phone books?” he asked.Abramson accused colleagues of taking part in a “farewell tour,” phasing out obligations to rural residents while assuming that broadband competition has already displaced the need for phone directories.Canada’s first telephone book was printed in Toronto in 1879, while Telus’ predecessor, Alberta Government Telephones, had distributed them for decades as a public utility.
