GATINEAU – A newly established consumer agency, the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services, was given a conditional go-ahead by the CRTC this Thursday afternoon.
"We are very pleased that the industry came together to establish this consumer agency so quickly," said Konrad von Finckenstein, chairman of the CRTC, in a press release. "It will provide residential and small business customers with an effective, accessible and consumer-friendly recourse when they are unable to resolve a disagreement with their service provider."
As reported by Cartt.ca, the agency was launched on a provisional basis in July 2007. During the first four months of operation, the agency received over 1,000 complaints and inquiries, and successfully resolved the majority of the complaints it received. Its services are available to consumers free of charge.
In its decision Thursday, the Commission is asking the agency to make certain modifications to its proposed structure and mandate to ensure its effectiveness, as well as its independence from the telecommunications industry. The CRTC expects the agency to implement these measures within the next 45 days.
The Commission also determined that service providers and resellers whose annual Canadian telecommunications service revenues exceed $10 million are required to become members of the agency by February 1, 2008.
Its web site is www.ccts-cprst.ca
The agency is to:
* Assess whether the complaint is within the scope of its mandate.
* If so, the agency will forward a copy of the complaint to the service provider, who will have 20 business days to respond, with a copy to the complainant.
* If the service provider does not respond or the complaint remains unresolved after 20 business days, agency staff will investigate and make a non-binding recommendation to the complainant and the service provider.
* If either the complainant or the service provider rejects the staff recommendation, the agency will render a decision that becomes binding if accepted by the complainant.
Remedies
To resolve a complaint, the agency can require a telecommunications service provider to:
* Provide an explanation or an apology to the consumer;
* Undertake to do or cease a specific activity or activities; and
* Provide up to $5,000 per complaint in compensation to the consumer.
Governance
Although the consumer agency was established by telecommunications service providers, it has been structured in a way that will ensure its independence from the industry. Notably, its Board of Directors will consist of seven directors, four of whom will be independent. In addition, two of the four independent directors will be appointed by consumer groups.
