Demands deletion by anyone who downloaded it
GATINEAU — The CRTC did a bit of damage-control on Monday saying confidential versions of Northwestel’s 2019 annual price cap model and Télébec’s 2018 price cap model had been posted on the Commission’s website in error. On January 28, 2020, Commission staff became aware of the inadvertent disclosure of the confidential information and removed it.
The Commission made the revelation in a letter publicized on March 30 and addressed to “Persons who viewed the 2019 Price Cap Filings between 17 June 2019 and 28 January 2020.”
After the error was discovered by Commission staff, the documents were immediately removed from the website, the letter says. In addition, all Price Cap webpages were verified to ensure no other confidential information had been inadvertently published, the Commission says.
The letter explains the confidential documents were filed in June and August 2019 and were included in the ZIP file for the 2019 Price Cap Filings. It’s possible anyone who viewed the 2019 Price Cap Filings up until January 28 may have downloaded some or all of the confidential documents, the letter warns.
In the letter, the Commission writes:
“Given the confidential nature of these documents, the Commission requires anyone who downloaded the ZIP file for the 2019 Price Cap Filings to:
- immediately destroy the confidential files contained in the ZIP file relating to Northwestel’s and Télébec’s price cap model; and
- identify themselves to the Commission confirming that any soft copies of the confidential documents have been permanently deleted and that any hard copies have been destroyed.
“In addition, the confidential information contained in the confidential documents should not be disclosed to any person, used to gain an improper benefit, or used to the detriment of any person to whose business or affairs the information relates.”
The Commission says it is committed to protecting confidential information and has confidence in the processes it has in place to verify the classification of documents before they are posted to the Commission’s website.
“However, in light of these inadvertent disclosures, the Commission has modified its internal processes and procedures to add an additional safeguard to the verification process,” the letter says.
Any questions regarding the letter can be directed to the Commission’s secretary general, Claude Doucet, at Sec-gen@crtc.gc.ca.
