CRTC advises Bell and payphone companies to take dispute to court

GATINEAU — In a letter issued February 8, the CRTC has told Bell Canada and payphone operators SDI Telecom and AFX Communications (now defunct) that it will not step in to settle an ongoing dispute over toll-free call compensation. In September 2020, in an application to the CRTC, Bell accused SDI Telecom of making illegitimate toll-free calls to inflate its billing charges to Bell, and asked the Commission to allow Bell to withhold payment of the disputed charges. Similarly, in August 2020, Bell had accused AFX Communications of doing the same thing and sought permission from the Commission to withhold...