OTTAWA-GATINEAU – The CRTC is warning customers of Téliphone Navigata Westel Communications (TNW) that they may lose phone and Internet service in November as a result of a commercial dispute between TNW and Telus.
The Commission issued a public consumer alert Thursday, after determining that Telus may initiate service disconnection beginning November 21, 2016. Telus, which provides underlying carrier service to TNW, advised the CRTC in June that it had given notice to terminate services as a result of payment issues with TNW.
Headquartered in Vancouver, the independent facilities-based CLEC provides Internet, phone and television services to customers across Canada. According to its website, TNW also offers IT support, cloud computing, and co-location data centers, plus operates a U.S. network.
The CRTC said that its consumer alert is intended for customers in areas where TNW is providing services via its commercial arrangements with Telus. Such affected customers include end-users (residential, enterprises and public-sector), as well as resellers.
In a letter to TNW CEO Sandeep Panesar and Telus VP telecom policy and chief regulatory legal counsel Stephen Schmidt, the Commission directed TNW to notify all affected customers, including resellers, by September 30, and specified that its notice include a link to the CRTC’s Service Providers Near Me page. It also ordered TNW to “work diligently to ensure a smooth transition for its affected customers to their new service providers.”
“Failure to comply with any and all parts of this Commission decision may lead to the Commission taking enforcement action, which could include the imposition of administrative monetary penalties, as per Compliance and Enforcement and Telecom Information Bulletin CRTC 2015-111”, continues the letter.
