Ottawa, July 26, 2016 – The Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS) today issued its annotation of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission’s (CRTC) Deposit and Disconnection Code.

At the request of the CRTC, CCTS has been administering the Deposit and Disconnection Code since it came into effect on May 14, 2012. This means that CCTS applies the Code to resolve complaints it receives from wireline telephone service customers, and also tracks and reports on violations of the Code.

“The Code sets some rules to be followed by wireline service providers when they disconnect home phone customers, and also prescribes some requirements if the provider demands a security deposit from the customer as a condition of providing service,” said CCTS Commissioner Howard Maker.

CCTS has compiled the various determinations and interpretations that it has made in the complaints it has investigated since May 2012, and put them together in its Annotated Guide to the Deposit and Disconnection Code. In March 2016, CCTS issued a similar annotation of the CRTC’s Wireless Code. The annotation of the Deposit and Disconnection Code follows the same format as the annotation to the Wireless Code, with a section-by-section discussion, and complaint summaries intended to illustrate the discussion.

“We see a limited number of complaints that require the application and interpretation of the Deposit and Disconnection Code” said Maker. “Nonetheless we feel it is important to provide this annotation to assist customers and service providers better understand their rights and obligations under the Code. We hope that this will also help customers and providers to resolve disputes about these issues directly, without requiring CCTS’ intervention.”

CCTS will update the annotation from time to time to ensure that it is kept up to date. The annotation can be viewed here: https://www.ccts-cprst.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Annotated-Guide-to-the-DD-Code.pdf.

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About the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS)

Since July 2007, CCTS has provided consumers with an independent and impartial mechanism for the resolution of complaints about deregulated local and long distance telephone services, as well as wireless service and internet access. This includes billing errors, compliance with contract terms and commitments, service delivery, credit management and collections issues. Visit our website at www.ccts-cprst.ca.

For more information: Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS), communication@ccts-cprst.ca, toll free: 1-855-512-9783