CRTC Says You Can Keep Your VoIP Number

On February 1, 2008, the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) decided that voice over IP phone (VoIP) providers should be required to allow the transfer of phone numbers to any provider. PIAC made submissions to the CRTC calling for “VoIP number portability” prior to the decision. What this means for consumers is that their VoIP number may be changed to their home ...

Consumer Groups Petition Cabinet to Reverse Payphone Price Hike

Ottawa – July 31, 2007 – The National Anti-Poverty Organization, Public Interest Advocacy Centre and Union des consommateurs jointly petitioned the federal cabinet yesterday to overturn the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission’s (CRTC) decision to double local payphone rates to 50 cents a call from 25 cents a call for Bell Aliant, Bell Canada, MTS Allstream and ...

Consumer Groups given leave to appeal CRTC $650 million Deferral Account Decision

For immediate release: Attention: New/Business editors Consumer Groups given leave to appeal CRTC $650 million Deferral Account Decision OTTAWA—Consumer groups learned this week that the Federal Court of Appeal has granted them leave to appeal a February 16 CRTC Decision allowing major telephone companies to use money, raised by overcharging for local phone service, to build ...

PIAC Media Release: Minister’s Proposed Directive to CRTC is One-Sided and Beyond his Powers: PIAC

August 16, 2006 For immediate release Attention: News/Business Editors Minister’s Proposed Directive to CRTC is One-Sided and Beyond his Powers: PIAC (Ottawa) The Public Interest Advocacy Centre today filed a response to the federal government’s CRTC policy directive. “The Government, with the proposed Policy Direction, is not facilitating competition. Instead, it is ...

PIAC Media Release CRTC Local Forbearance Decision

April 6, 2006 For Immediate Release On Balance, CRTC Will Provide Consumer Protection: PIAC Consumer groups reacted with cautious optimism to today’s CRTC Decision regarding the framework for deregulation of local exchange services. Right now, local telephone service offered by incumbent providers like Bell, Telus, Aliant, MTS or SaskTel are regulated to protect consumers with respect to ...

PIAC: CRTC Deferral Accounts Decision: Telephone customers lose

(OTTAWA, February 16, 2006)—The Public Interest Advocacy Centre expressed its dismay with today’s CRTC decision to allow telephone companies to spend the fund, in which rate reductions have been deposited, on rural broadband. “With all due respect to the Commission, this is not their money, it belongs to the telephone customers who paid the excessive rates in the first ...

Media Release: CRTC DECISION ON VoIP GOOD FOR CONSUMERS

Ottawa, May 12, 2005: Today, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) released its decision defining the effect of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) on present telecommunications regulation in Canada. The CRTC focussed clearly on the issue from a consumer perspective, finding that VoIP represents only a new technological delivery method for telephone calls, not an ...

Consumer Groups' submissions to CRTC on Payphone Access

Modem Hijacking: The CRTC Must Act

MODEM HIJACKING: THE CRTC MUST ACT Contact: John Lawford, PIAC (613) 562-4002×25 jlawford@piac.ca MONTREAL and Ottawa, July 7, 2004: Three major consumer groups today filed an application demanding the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) take action to stem the tide of “modem hijackings”, an internet scam costing consumers thousands of dollars in ...

CRTC Tells Canada’s Telephone Companies To Stop Disconnecting Paying Customers

The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) today welcomed a decision by the Canadian Radio-Television Telecommunications Commission ordering incumbent local telephone companies to halt the practice of disconnecting customers from their local telephone service when the customers do not pay their total bill for all telephone services received. In the past, for example, a customer of Bell Canada ...

CRTC Proceeding on Telecom Consumer Bill of Rights

Consumer Groups applaud CRTC initiative to develop Consumer Bill of Rights The CRTC today initiated a public process to develop a bill of rights for retail telecommunications customers, noting that much of this information is currently either hard to find or difficult to understand. The “Consumer Bill of Rights” would be a list of clear and concise statements of existing ...

Consumer Groups comments on telco “winback” activities

Link to CRTC proceeding

AT&T Petition re: CRTC Price Cap Decision

Link to CRTC webpage with submissions Link to Fed.Gov. webpage with instructions for submissions

PIAC application to CRTC for disclosure by telcos of long distance rates

Ms. Diane Rheaume Secretary-General Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission Ottawa, ON K1A 0N2 BY COURIER AND EMAIL Dear Ms. Rheaume: Re: Part VII Application by PIAC for enforcement of CRTC ruling regarding Basic Toll rate disclosure by ILECs, 1. The following is an application made pursuant to sections 24, 48, 51, 55, 56, 57 and 60 of the Telecommunications Act, and ...

Bell overcharging for party-line rental phone sets

Ms. Diane Rheaume Secretary-General Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission Ottawa, ON K1A 0N2 BY FAX AND EMAIL Dear Ms. Rheaume: Re: Bell Canada – unauthorized rate increases to party line rental sets; Part VII Application by PIAC for enforcement and relief 1. The following is an application made pursuant to sections 25, 48, 51, 55, 56, 57 and 60 of the ...

Consumer Groups make proposals for 900 service rules

Ms. Ursula Menke Secretary-General Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission Ottawa, ON K1A 0N2 BY FAX AND EMAIL Dear Ms. Menke: Re: Public Notice CRTC 2002-2: 900 Service 1. The following comments are submitted on behalf of the Consumers' Association of Canada, the National Anti-Poverty Organization, and l'Union des consommateurs (“the Consumer ...

Consumer Groups demand monthly bill detail by Bell and Aliant

Ms. Diane Rheaume Secretary-General Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission Ottawa, ON K1A 0N2 BY FAX AND EMAIL Dear Ms. Rheaume: Re: Follow-up to Decision CRTC 2002-34: Detailed Billing Statements 1. In para.805 of Decision 2002-34, the Commission initiated a process to determine whether Bell Canada and Aliant Telecom should be required to provide itemized billing ...

PIAC opposes disconnection of local phone service for non-payment of toll charges

DISPUTE CRTC BMT/Telephone Access Committee Subject of Dispute: Terms of Service regarding disconnection of basic local service for non-payment of toll or other non-tariffed charges Dispute Initiator: Philippa Lawson, PIAC/NAPO Date: June 26, 2002 Dispute Description: This dispute can be divided into a number of elements, as follows: 1. Do the terms “service”, ...

Consumer groups call for telemarketing controls

CRTC Public Notice 2001-34: Telemarketing Rules Comments of Action Réseau Consommateur, the Consumers' Association of Canada, and Fédération des Associations Coopératifs d'économie familiale (“ARC et al”) 1. The following comments are submitted on behalf of Action Réseau Consommateur, Fédération des associations ...

Comments to CRTC on Affiliate Data Sharing

Comments of Action Réseau Consommateur, the Consumers' Association of Canada, and Fédération des Associations Coopératifs d'économie familiale (“ARC et al”) Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0N2 Attention: Ms. Ursula Menke Secretary General Dear Ms. Menke: Re: Public Notice CRTC ...

CRTC Price Cap Review

Link to CRTC proceeding

Comments to CRTC on Reverse Directory Services

Link to CRTC proceeding

Directory Assistance Appeal

Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0N2 Attention: Mr. John Keogh Secretary General Dear Mr. Keogh: Re: Telecom Order CRTC 99-741: Bell Canada Directory Assistance; Part VII Application for a Review and Variance of Order 99-741 1. This is an application made pursuant to section 62 of the Telecommunications Act for a review and variance of ...