Win-back rules violate Charter, say telcos

OTTAWA – Rules that go too far in preventing telcos from contacting customers in order to win them back is contrary to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, say Canada’s incumbent telcos. A submission to the CRTC last month from Eastern telco Aliant (since supported by Bell Canada, Telus and Sasktel) says, in part, “that the Commission’s order extending the ‘no-contact’ rule beyond local residential service is inconsistent with the principle of freedom of expression, encompassed in s. 2(b) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.” As a way to foster competition, telco regs have prevented the incumbent...