CRTC rules telecoms must block spam calls
Phone providers required to come up with solutions to protect Canadians
Canada’s telecom regulator ruled that all telecommunications providers must take steps to block blatant spam calls from their networks.
In an attempt to reduce the number of unsolicited calls Canadians receive, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission issued a decision Monday that gives telecoms 90 days to develop technical solutions to block illegitimate nuisance calls within their networks.
An industry working group will develop the methods, with the Big Three all supporting the formal process. In past submissions, major telephone providers BCE Inc. and Telus Corp. cautioned there was no “silver bullet” technology to stop the pesky calls. Telephone providers generally urged the CRTC not to impose any regulatory obligations on the industry, stating that investments in solutions may not be justified due to evolving technology. Many emphasized encouraging consumers to take steps to protect themselves from unsolicited telemarketing calls.
Nonetheless, the CRTC placed the onus on telecoms to block “blatantly illegitimate” calls. If telecoms don’t implement sufficient measures to stop the barrage of unwanted calls, the CRTC states it’s “prepared to take further action.”
“We strive to ensure all Canadians have adequate and reliable protection when using the communication system. In this case, telecommunications service providers are in the best position to develop and implement call management solutions for the millions of Canadians tired of receiving nuisance calls, just as they have done for email and text messaging,” CRTC chairman Jean-Pierre Blais said in a statement.
“We encourage Canadians to contact their service provider to find out what solutions they offer to protect themselves against nuisance calls.”
The CRTC also asked telecoms to develop opt-in filtering services for unwanted calls. The regulator will give the companies 180 days to report back on the details of such call management features they offer or will offer to customers.
The decision stems from a consultation that began in July 2015. The CRTC previously instituted the National Do Not Call List to try to cut back on unsolicited calls, but found that became harder to implement due to caller ID spoofing, a practice that occurs when telemarketers hide or misrepresent their identity by displaying fictitious phone numbers when they make calls.
“Caller ID spoofing may also be used to facilitate misleading and fraudulent telemarketing activities, which may lead to anxiety, annoyance, and, in some cases, distress and financial losses,” the CRTC stated in its decision.
The CRTC deemed that providers should use universal blocking for calls that are “blatantly illegitimate.” These calls, which originate from numbers that match that of the person being called, purport to be a local number when it’s a long distance call or don’t match the North American numbering standard. They account for 35 per cent of complaints regarding the National Do Not Call List.
Spokespeople from the Big Three all reiterated Monday their support for the working group.
“We look forward to working with other communications providers to implement today’s decision,” Bell spokeswoman Michelle Michalak said in an email.
Telus looks forward to discussing ways to “feasibly strengthen” its approach to preventing the nuisance calls that cause ongoing frustration among customers, spokesman Richard Gilhooley noted.
“We all want to hang up on these irritating calls and we’re working on a solution because it’s important to our customers,” Rogers Communications Inc. spokesman Andrew Garas said in an email.