OTTAWA-GATINEAU – The CRTC has taken steps to improve its complaints resolution process for Internet traffic management practices through new guidelines that include strict timelines and the threat of public shaming.
Thursday’s decision details how the Commission will now deal with complaints about Internet service providers (ISPs) slowing down certain types of traffic. Upon the receipt of a complaint regarding a traffic management practice, CRTC staff will forward the complaint to the ISP in question within 15 calendar days, and request a response within 20 calendar days of the company receiving that complaint.
If the ISP fails to respond or bring itself into compliance, the CRTC said that it will take further action to enforce its policy, which could include meeting with the ISP to discuss the complaint in more detail, requesting an on-site inspection or independent third-party audit, or calling the ISP to a public hearing.
All Commission findings of non-compliance will be published on the CRTC’s website and will include the ISP’s name and the nature of the complaint. In addition, the Commission said that it will publish on its website a summary of the number and types of complaints it has received, including the number of active and resolved complaints, each quarter.
“The policy sets out clear ground rules, which we expect all ISPs to follow,” said CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein, in a statement. “The guidelines we issued today will help Canadians understand which practices are permitted and how to make a complaint. We will require ISPs that are not following the rules to take corrective action as quickly as possible.”
Under a 2009 CRTC policy, ISPs are encouraged to expand and upgrade their networks to address increases in traffic. Should other measures be required, ISPs are allowed to apply Internet traffic management practices, whether economic or technical, to manage traffic to prevent or respond to network congestion. In either case, however, an ISP must be transparent about its use of traffic management practices.
