OTTAWA – The CRTC has ordered the country’s telcos to pay over $215,000 to the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) in order to cover its costs during the obligation to serve hearing last fall.
The consumer group asked the Commission that it be reimbursed for legal fees, consultant fees, expert witness fees, disbursement fees and tax while representing the organizations Canada Without Poverty, Option consommateurs, and Rural Dignity of Canada, an amount that it said totaled $216,795.66.
On Monday, the CRTC agreed that PIAC should be paid $215,276.46, and that the amount should be divided up among all telecommunications service providers that participated in the proceeding, in proportion to their operating revenues based on their most recent audited financial statements. The majority will be shared by the country’s big three incumbents – Telus is responsible for 26.2% of the amount, while Rogers and Bell Canada are each on the hook for 24.9% and 23%, respectively.
