Telecoms told to help block nuisance calls
CRTC has given telephone service providers 90 days to come up with solutions
Canada’s telecommunication watchdog has put the onus on phone service providers to help block nuisance calls that could see network-level technology used to prevent the most blatantly illegitimate calls from reaching subscribers.
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) on Monday said it has given the carriers 90 days to come up with technology solutions in a move it says will complement the National Do Not Call List.
In its most recent annual report, the CRTC said complaints over Do Not Call List violations spiked 13 per cent in the 2015-2016 reporting period compared to a year earlier.
The regulator is also encouraging companies to offer incoming call opt-out features in addition to the basic protection afforded by universal blocking, anti-spam features that have been offered in other jurisdictions free of charge.
Service providers must report to the commission within180 days with details on the filtering services they offer or propose to offer to their customers.
All solutions will be subject to approval by the CRTC.
The commission says more advanced technology is needed to combat rapidly evolving marketing tactics, including caller ID “spoofing” that allows robo callers and scammers to misrepresent their identity so that they appear to be calling from a local number.
The CRTC says it will soon issue a decision on how to deal with caller ID spoofing.
It notes that Canadians can register with the national Do Not Call List to help reduce the amount of telemarketing calls they receive.