When the CRTC expanded the scope of services covered by the office of the Commissioner of Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS) in December 2010, we knew it would be a challenge to ensure that all service providers would register.
The major telecom service providers are front of mind, but there are hundreds of smaller players providing voice and internet services to the public. Although all service providers were supposed to have registered, compliance was to be ensured by checking the list when a customer complaint arrived at the CCTS.
A year later, in December 2011, Brama Telecom was the first service provider to face the CRTC over a continued failure to comply with the requirement to register with the CCTS following a complaint. Following an official CRTC inquiry being launched, Brama joined the CCTS and the CRTC proceeding was discontinued.
Today, 3 service providers became the first to continue past that gate and have moved to the “name and shame” stage. The CRTC has modified its webpage describing the CCTS in order to list the continued non-compliance of the companies.
You should also be aware that the CRTC has required the following companies to participate in the CCTS, but that they have not yet complied with this requirement:
- Adeste Global Managed Networks Inc.
- Lions Gate Internet, doing business as Imagen Communications Inc.
- Tollfreeforwarding.com
Further, the CRTC has issued mandatory orders to the companies seeking information about the nature of the services being offered and how those services are being provided, such as over the company’s own facilities or by resale of another telecommunications service provider’s services). The CRTC says that it “intends to register these orders with the Federal Court and pursue their enforcement as orders of that court.”
Ignoring such an order could lead to contempt charges.
Today’s decision was triggered by a “show-cause” proceeding launched 6 months ago, that threatened service disconnection:
The Commission notes that where a TSP is found to be in non-compliance with the CCTS participation requirement and does not own or operate a transmission facility, disconnection would be effected through an order directed at the Canadian carrier that provides that particular TSP with telecommunications services, whether directly or indirectly, to cease providing the TSP with the services.
Will these companies comply with the information request now that there is the threat of contempt proceedings being launched?
Will services being provided by these companies in Canada be disconnected? The CRTC could issue a disconnection order to all Canadian service providers who could be underlying these 3 non-compliant companies: Adeste Global Managed Networks Inc., Lions Gate Internet (doing business as Imagen Communications Inc.), and Tollfreeforwarding.com.