CCTS to ‘name and shame’ carriers that break the code, Maker says

GATINEAU, Que.—The Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS) is prepared to “name and shame” wireless carriers that break provisions of a future wireless code of conduct, complaints commissioner Howard Maker said Friday. “The name and shame power is typically thought of in ombudsman circles as a very important one, and in fact is the ultimate one in most ombudsman organizations,” Maker told commissioners during the final day of a weeklong CRTC hearing to establish a national code of conduct for wireless carriers. “If we do an investigation and we conclude in the context of one or more complaints that a service provider is not following the dictates of the code, we would make that public. I think that's part of what's expected.” In a draft code of conduct released last month, the CRTC proposed that the CCTS be responsible for monitoring consumer complaints about carriers that break any of the code's rules, and for publishing data about those complaints in the organization's annual report. The CRTC said it would monitor trends in the CCTS reports “and will take action to enforce its requirement that service providers adhere to the Wireless Code in cases of systemic non-compliance.” Maker said Friday that the CCTS will also consider releasing press releases and posting notices on its website to identify carriers that break the code's rules. “That's a decision for our board to make in terms of how we would want to publicize that, but I think all of those options are certainly available,” he said. Maker said he believes the “reputational risk” of being publicly fingered would motivate carriers to abide by the code. “I only know what they tell me, and what they tell me is they think it's a very strong measure,” he said. “No major provider would want to see a press release go out that says CCTS has concluded that this provider has not followed the code in the following circumstances.” Tamir Israel, staff lawyer with public interest group the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC), said in an interview that consumer groups are concerned carriers will be able to avoid public scrutiny by agreeing to CCTS resolutions relating to code violations. He noted that the CCTS only publicizes details of consumer complaints that reach its “decision” phase, and said this could make it difficult for the public to identify widespread issues. The CCTS said in its most recent annual report in October that 90 per cent of the complaints it received last year were resolved and never made it to the decision phase. “A lot of it is just hidden,” he said of the CCTS data. “That's one thing that might make it difficult to get at more systemic problems.” In a follow-up interview with The Wire Report, Maker said the CCTS will provide the CRTC with detailed information about which carriers break which of the code's provisions, and how often. “Quite apart from whether we issue a decision or not, they, certainly in the draft code document, have asked for provider-specific reporting about breaches. So if we confirm a breach, it's something that we'll make known, and the commission will be able to act on it,” he said. “We'd be able to track complaints as they come in as they relate to that provision, and when we confirm code breaches we'd report them by the provision so it'd be very clear what the problem would be.” The weeklong hearing to establish a wireless code ended Friday and carriers, and other hearing participants, have until March 1 to file their final comments. Reply comments are due March 15. —With reporting by Nicholas Kyonka at nkyonka@thewirereport.ca and editing by Danika Grenier at dgrenier@thewirereport.ca

CCTS to ‘name and shame’ carriers that break the code, Maker says

News | 02/16/2013 1:08 am EST

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