The Financial Post reports in its Tuesday edition because cellphone, Internet and other services have become a vital part of everyday life, the Public Interest Advocacy Centre is calling on Ottawa to make access to affordable communications the law of the land. A Canadian Press dispatch to the Post says in a report released Monday, the group recommends the feds adopt an enforceable, universal service obligation, incorporated into legislation including the Telecommunications Act. For many low-income Canadians, it says, the costs of staying connected have forced consumers to rack up substantial debts to maintain service, with some people choosing to forego essentials such as food to pay their phone, cable and Internet bills. Communications expenses ate up an average of 7.67 per cent of the monthly income of low-income households, with smaller families of between one to four people spending proportionately more. The report also recommends the government introduce affordability guidelines, with average communications costs ranging from 4 to 6 per cent of a household's income. Affordability, however, is subjective and depends on an individual or household's ability to control their expenses, said the report's authors.