The High Cost of Poor Punctuation

It could be the most costly piece of punctuation in Canada.

A grammatical blunder may force Rogers Communications Inc. to pay an extra $2.13-million to use utility poles in the Maritimes after the placement of a comma in a contract permitted the deal's cancellation.

The controversial comma sent lawyers and telecommunications regulators scrambling for their English textbooks in a bitter 18-month dispute that serves as an expensive reminder of the importance of punctuation. (globeandmail.com)

At issue is the second comma in a sentence relating to a five-year contract the company made with Aliant Inc. to string cable on utility poles. The sentence says the contract "shall continue in force for a period of five years from the date it is made, and thereafter for successive five year terms, unless and until terminated by one year prior notice in writing by either party."

Rogers meant the sentence to say that the contract could not be cancelled until the first five years had passed, thus freezing the price it had to pay per utility pole.

Aliant claims that the second comma means it could cancel the contract with one year's notice at any time, even during the first five years.

Sadly for Rogers, regulators with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission have sided on the side of good grammar by agreeing with Aliant. Rogers' price could rise from its fixed rate of $9.60 per utility pole to as high as $28.05 per pole.

PS You can find a nice set of links on grammar and usage put together by Richard Lederer at Verbivore.