Telecom-television ombudsman takes formal steps against non-compliant service provider
Ottawa (July 22, 2021) – The Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services (CCTS) terminated the participation of service provider SkyChoice Communications Inc. (“SkyChoice”) for failing to comply with a number of mandatory elements of participation in the CCTS.
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) requires all participating service providers of the CCTS to comply with the obligations imposed on them due to their participation in the CCTS. This includes complying with the CCTS Procedural Code which contains rules for the CCTS’s complaint-handling process, disclosing financial information, and paying CCTS fees.
SkyChoice is an Ontario-based service provider that offers wired and wireless internet, home phone, and TV services. The CCTS investigated a customer complaint and issued a binding Recommendation requiring SkyChoice to refund its customer. SkyChoice failed to implement that binding Recommendation. In four complaints, SkyChoice refused to cooperate with the CCTS or failed to provide requested information during the complaint investigation, as required by the CCTS’s Procedural Code. SkyChoice also failed to provide required financial information, and failed to pay outstanding fees. The CCTS attempted to engage with SkyChoice several times to explain the issues of non-compliance and to bring SkyChoice into compliance.
“Our goal is to ensure that all participating service providers play by the rules, so that customer problems are promptly and fairly addressed,” says Janet Lo, Assistant Commissioner, Legal, Regulatory & Stakeholder Affairs. “By failing to do so, SkyChoice has effectively denied its customers the right to benefit from the CCTS process. We have made several efforts to communicate with SkyChoice and work with it to resolve these issues. SkyChoice has not resolved these issues, leaving us with no choice but to terminate its participation in the CCTS and refer it to the CRTC for further action.”
The termination of SkyChoice’s participation in the CCTS puts it in violation of the CRTC’s mandatory participation requirement. As required, the CCTS has referred this matter to the CRTC for further action.
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