OTTAWA – Canadians registered 1.2 million numbers on the national do not call list last year, and 80% say that they are now receiving fewer telemarketing calls.
According to a CRTC report for the period of April 1, 2010 to March 31, 2011, the Commission imposed administrative monetary penalties and other payments worth $2.66 million for violations of the unsolicited telecommunications rules – $1.8 million of these fines were paid to the Receiver General for Canada and $741,000 to educational institutions.
The CRTC received 115,113 complaints during that time, a 30% decrease over the previous period, bringing its total number of complaints to 398,809 since the launch of the national DNCL in September 2008. Thanks in part to new compliance and enforcement approaches such as issuing citations and compliance letters and negotiated settlements, the CRTC concluded 129 investigations in 2010. To date, over 90% of all investigations have been concluded.
Telemarketer registrations to the national DNCL increased by 930, to total 8,478 since the launch of the list. Telemarketers also purchased 2,350 subscriptions which allow them to update their calling lists by ‘scrubbing’ or removing, registered phone numbers.
Bell Canada’s costs associated with operating the list (which are recovered through subscription fees charged to telemarketers who purchase the list) were almost $3 million. The CRTC reported that its expenses for activities related to the national DNCL were approximately $3.1 million
For more on the 2010 report, click here.
