OTTAWA and GATINEAU – Rogers and Bell are among the last wireless services companies that have yet to fully comply with the CRTC’s wireless code.
On Thursday, the Commission issued a report card assessing the implementation of the wireless code by the country’s 33 wireless services providers. That code, which turns one in December, was designed to make it easier for Canadians to understand their contracts for cellphones and other mobile devices, plus outline their basic rights.
Noting that verification of the code’s implementation is the first step in assessing compliance, the CRTC asked the wireless companies to submit reports last January on their implementation of the code. Most companies demonstrated that they had made the necessary changes to their contracts, policies and procedures within the prescribed time frames, but the Commission said that some still have to make changes to their practices in order to comply with the code.
According to the report, Rogers has yet to develop a process to let customers opt out of receiving international roaming notifications, and, to adjust its time for customer disconnections to between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM local time (9:00 AM and 5:00 PM on weekends). Bell is not fully compliant with the trial period requirement because its customers may be subject to a penalty if they return their device during the trial period.
“We are satisfied that the majority of the population can now benefit from the terms of the code and would like to remind the wireless service providers that they are required to comply with it at all times”, said CRTC chief consumer officer Barbara Motzney, in a statement. “The CRTC expects companies that have policies which do not comply with the code to take necessary measures as soon as possible.”
The Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS) will administer the wireless code and determine on a case‑by‑case basis whether or not providers are complying with the code. The CCTS will release its first annual report later this year, which will include complaints concerning the code.
