Company fined $15K; owner/president ordered to pay $10K
OTTAWA – The CRTC is cracking down on an alleged telemarketer for violating the Telecommunications Act by ignoring its repeated requests for information.
In Compliance and Enforcement Decision CRTC 2017-445 issued Wednesday, the Commission found that Topline Air Duct Cleaning and its owner and president, Naveed Raza, failed to respond to a request for information (RFI) letter dated July 31, 2015 despite two deadline extensions and a show cause proceeding in August.
“The Commission reiterates that individuals and companies cannot blatantly ignore RFIs made in the course of an investigation without consequence”, reads Wednesday’s decision. “As part of these investigations, the Commission and its designated staff require information that only the individuals and companies under investigation can provide. In the absence of any evidence of cooperation by Topline and Mr. Raza, the Commission is compelled to use one of the more forceful tools at its disposal to ensure that individuals and companies comply with such requests, thereby ensuring the integrity of the Commission’s processes.”
The CRTC has levied a $15,000 administrative monetary penalty (AMP) against Topline, and a separate $10,000 AMP against Raza, both of which are due by January 12, 2018.
“If payment has not been received by 12 January 2018, the Commission intends to take measures to collect the amount owing, which may include certifying the unpaid amount and registering the certificate with the Federal Court”, continues the decision.
