OTTAWA – The CRTC is refunding more than $300,000 to telemarketers after the total amount paid for violations in 2015-16 exceeded its estimated regulatory costs.
The Commission said Tuesday that $3,677,716 was paid under the Unsolicited Telecommunications Fees Regulations last year, $377,716 more than the $3.3 million it estimated in telemarketing regulatory costs. In accordance with the formula set out in subsection 4(2) of the Regulations, the CRTC must refund the overage.
The Regulator also estimated its telemarketing regulatory costs for fiscal year 2016-17 at $3.3 million. Costs to enforce the national Do Not Call List are covered by fees paid by telemarketers who subscribe to the list.
Telemarketing regulatory costs are defined in the Regulations as follows:
The telemarketing regulatory costs of the Commission for a given fiscal year are the portion of the costs of the Commission’s activities for that year, as set out in the Commission’s Expenditure Plan published in Part III of the Estimates of the Government of Canada and, if applicable, the Supplementary Estimates of the Government of Canada, that are attributable to the Commission’s responsibilities under section 41.2 of the Telecommunications Act and that are not recovered under any regulation made under section 68 of that Act.
