OTTAWA – The CRTC’s National Do Not Call List levied $3,050,595 in fees in the 2013-14 fiscal year, according to its annual report released Thursday.
During the 2013-2014 reporting period, from April 1, 2013 to March 31, 2014, Canadians registered 750,521 numbers, bringing the list’s total to 12,239,563 numbers, or about 29% of Canadian households.
There were 666 telemarketer registrations, bringing the total to 10,877. Telemarketer registrations to the National DNCL have increased by 14.5% since 2011-12, and by 23.2% since 2010-11. Telemarketers also bought 2,090 subscriptions to the List, ranging from one area code for one month to all area codes for a year.
Canadians filed 128,273 complaints during the reporting period, for a total of 807,091 complaints since the National DNCL was launched in 2008. The complaints related to the National DNCL, automatic dialing-announcing devices (ADADs), dead-lines (where there is no caller on the line), or other issues. More than 21,500, or over 16%, of these complaints were about calls from home maintenance and security service companies, duct cleaning companies, or political parties or candidates.
During the 2013-2014 reporting period, the CRTC launched 146 investigations, completing 101 by year-end. During the same period, the CRTC took enforcement action against telemarketers and other entities responsible for over 11 million calls to Canadians that were in violation of the Rules. Of these calls, 6 million violated the National DNCL Rules and 5 million violated the ADAD Rules.
The number of Notices of Violation issued doubled from 15 in 2012-2013 to 30 in 2013-2014. The value of administrative monetary penalties (AMPs) imposed rose by 19%, from $889,900 in 2012-2013 to $1,060,400 in 2013-2014. Compared to 2011-2012, when $441,000 in AMPs were issued, this represents an increase of 58% over two years. This money is remitted to the Government of Canada’s Consolidated Revenue Fund.
The CRTC’s telemarketing costs for 2013-2014 were estimated to be $3.3 million.
