Ottawa (December 9, 2022) – The Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services (“CCTS”) welcomes the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) decision ordering service provider Net2Web Inc. (“Net2Web”) to join the CCTS. This follows a public proceeding after the CCTS referred Net2Web to the CRTC for enforcement action due to its failure to join the ombuds organization. Net2Web’s failure to join the CCTS deprives Net2Web’s customers of their right to recourse through the independent complaints-handling body.

The CRTC ordered Net2Web to become a participant in the CCTS within 60 days — by January 27, 2023. The CCTS has reached out to Net2Web to facilitate its participation and will report back to the CRTC if Net2Web does not join by the order deadline.

The CRTC determined that Net2Web’s failure to join the CCTS violated the Telecommunications Act and imposed a monetary penalty of $50,000 on Net2Web and a penalty of $15,000 on Naved Ashraf, the Director of Net2Web. The CRTC’s decision noted the potential consequences of additional and larger monetary penalties in the event of future non-compliance.

Participating in the CCTS is a regulatory requirement imposed on service providers by the CRTC, the industry regulator. This requirement exists so that the customers of service providers have recourse to the CCTS’ independent complaint-handling mechanisms in the event of a dispute with their provider. When a service provider is not already a participant of the CCTS, there are two circumstances which trigger the CRTC’s regulatory requirement to sign up: when a customer complains, and when licensed TV service providers are mandated to do so by the CRTC. When a provider does not join the CCTS, the CCTS refers the matter to the CRTC for enforcement action and publishes the name of the non-compliant provider on its website.

“Service providers are required to sign-up when the CCTS receives a customer complaint.  Failure to do so can lead to significant consequences for service providers that refuse to play by the rules,” said Howard Maker, Commissioner and CEO of the CCTS. “As a result of Net2Web’s refusal to participate in the organization, Net2Web customers continue to be denied the right to complain to the CCTS about their disputes with their service provider.”

About the CCTS

We are Canada’s national and independent organization dedicated to resolving customer complaints about telecommunications and television services, fairly and free of charge. This includes billing errors, compliance with contract terms and commitments, service delivery, credit management and collections issues. Let’s talk solutions!

Contact

Mathieu Pierre Dagonas, communications@ccts-cprst.ca

Director, Communications and Stakeholder Affairs