CRTC asks complaints commissioner to help develop industry code

The CRTC said Wednesday it will require the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS) to participate in a working group on the creation of an industry code for telecommunications providers. Established in 2007, the CCTS is an independent agency created to resolve disagreements between consumers and service providers for telecommunications services that the CRTC does not regulate, including wireless and Internet service contracts. In 2009, the commission directed the CCTS to develop and administer an industry code, but the agency said its members could not reach an agreement to adopt one. In a decision Wednesday, the CRTC said it will establish the minimum criteria for the code and set up an interconnection steering committee to develop the requirements by a given deadline. The CCTS will join the committee as a member. Once the CRTC approves a new code, the CCTS will be left to administer it. The code of conduct will set new minimum, industry-wide standards for telecom disconnection and deposit policies. The CRTC's decision comes as part of a review of the CCTS' mandate and structure. The commission said it will continue its support for the agency. “Following an extensive review, we are satisfied that the CCTS is doing a good job of resolving complaints on behalf of consumers and small businesses,” Leonard Katz, the CRTC’s vice-chairman of telecommunications, said in a release. “An independent agency like the CCTS is an essential intermediary in a market where competition is growing by the day and the majority of telecommunications services are no longer regulated.” The commission said in its decision that it determined the CCTS' governance and mandate to be appropriate, but said the agency will now be required to include more details on the types of complaints it receives as part of its annual reports. During commission hearings about the CCTS in December, industry players argued that they should take the lead on developing a new industry code of conduct. On Dec. 1, the commission ruled that all telecommunications service providers will be required to become members of the CCTS. Previously, only large telcos with revenues of over $10 million were required to join. The commission added in its decision Wednesday that the CCTS may determine whether it should change its funding model to better fit the addition of smaller service providers as members. The commission also said that members will be expected to include a permanent notice about the CCTS in a prominent location on monthly bills. The notice is an attempt to build consumer awareness about the CCTS and its work. But telcos will only be required to reformat their bills to include the notice once they are in the regular process of upgrading their billing systems. During the commission’s hearing on the CCTS, telcos said that reformatting their bills to include the notice would be costly because their printing capabilities limit the amount of characters that can fit into the necessary spaces. “It would probably cost us in the millions of dollars,” Ted Woodhead, Telus’ vice-president of telecom policy and regulatory affairs, said at the time. news@thewirereport.ca

CRTC asks complaints commissioner to help develop industry code

News | 01/26/2011 7:27 pm EST

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