CRTC considers requiring service providers make customers aware of complaints body more quickly

The CRTC is considering whether it should order service providers to inform unsatisfied customers of their right to bring their complaint to the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services (CCTS) more quickly than waiting for it to go higher up the support chain. The regulator believes that the current requirement for telecom and television companies to inform their customers about the CCTS “at the second level of escalation” is ineffective and inconsistently defined by the industry, according to a consultation notice issued Friday, Oct. 17. It is looking for comments from communications service providers, customers, and other stakeholders on the matter. The CRTC proposes amending the Consumer Protection Codes so that service providers must inform unhappy customers about the CCTS as soon as an “offered solution” is presented, which the CRTC would define as a written proposal made by the provider “that aims to conclude the complaint.” Notification would also be required if a customer expresses dissatisfaction with the process or requests an escalation. Service providers must still get the chance to resolve a complaint before it goes to the CCTS, the CRTC noted, adding that it expects them to use their best efforts to resolve a complaint “on first contact” and avoid delays. “While communications service providers have a responsibility to inform customers that the CCTS can help resolve issues, data collected by the commission suggests that customers may be abandoning complaints before they are informed about the CCTS by their provider,” the CRTC wrote. Abramson warns that CRTC risks ‘repeating past mistakes’ Although he agreed with the need for a better approach to raising awareness of the CCTS, Ontario commissioner Bram Abramson raised concerns about the CRTC’s preliminary views. Abramson cautions that the “offered solution” trigger to notify, like the current system, still relies on the service provider’s interpretation of when the complaint has reached a particular stage. “I am concerned that in steering interveners towards one approach that shares some of the same dependencies as the current process, we risk repeating past mistakes. A fuller record that examines alternative approaches carefully is to be preferred,” he wrote. While the CRTC asks what it should “keep in mind with respect to smaller service providers or resellers,” it also states that the proposed changes “would not apply to resellers – except for wireless resellers” and that very small telecom providers would also be exempt. Abramson argues that this causes a discrepancy with some Consumer Protection Codes — such as the Internet Code and Wireless Code — which generally apply to all telecom service providers. He argues that the consult should better address whether these rules should apply to smaller service providers and resellers. “Notices of consultation direct the public in developing the evidence that will frame our rulemaking. The resulting record both defines and limits the choices before the commission. That is why, while I concur in the launch of this proceeding, I have made public the areas I believe warrant closer examination,” Abramson concluded. Stakeholders will have until Nov. 17 to submit comments, with replies due Dec. 2. phalentm@thewirereport.ca

CRTC considers requiring service providers make customers aware of complaints body more quickly

Regulatory |
By Phalen Tynes-MacDonald
|October 17, 2025

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CRTC considers requiring service providers make customers aware of complaints body more quickly

Regulatory | By Phalen Tynes-MacDonald |October 17, 2025

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By Phalen Tynes-MacDonald
|October 17, 2025