Data measurement audits would help telcos improve image: CCTS

Third-party auditing of service providers’ data metering would help improve customer confidence in telco services, Howard Maker, the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunication Services (CCTS), says. “Imagine an ad from Bell or Rogers that says our measurement tools have been independently audited by ABC company for accuracy, and that they check every 60 days,” Maker said in a phone interview. “I think it would be a good sales tool for them in an environment where people are not confident in service providers' usage measures.” The accurate measurement of data usage for Internet services has emerged as an issue of public concern as the CRTC reviews its usage-based billing policy. Observers are arguing that if telcos are charging consumers based on how much data they use, consumers need ways to accurately measure their data consumption. During the height of the usage-based billing controversy, on Feb. 8, The Toronto Star reported that Bell's Internet usage tracker had reported higher data charges than were actually used. In response to the error, Bell posted a notice on its website letting customers know that Internet usage shown on the site may have been overstated in some cases. Jason Laszlo, a spokesman for Bell, said at the time that less than 0.1 per cent of the company's Internet subscribers had been affected, but that the incident came at an “awful” time. Last week, the issue hit wireless phones, when CBC News reported that Bell charged a couple in Merritt, B.C., thousands of dollars for wireless data they said they did not use. The report said that in December the couple was charged for 30 hours of data usage in a 24-hour period and were charged for use while the phone was turned off. The couple said they had been overcharged by more than $5,000 since October. Maker said the CCTS, a body that handles telecom complaints in areas that the CRTC does not regulate, has received complaints related to excess data charges for wireless and wireline services. “But we haven't received a ton of them,” he said. Still, Maker said he has noticed a level of consumer distrust of providers' data measuring systems. “Certainly there is a lack of consumer confidence, in my view, in the data measurement tools that service providers are using for Internet,” he said. Maker said the situation is amplified by the fact that users often have no idea how much data they are using. “In the real world, when you're 20 days into your 30-day billing cycle, you have no idea how many emails you've been through or how many music videos you've downloaded,” he said. Complaints about the inaccurate measurement of data are hard for the CCTS to deal with, Maker said, because the agency can obtain records from service providers to examine cases but not phones or computers from consumers. Maker said that poses problems for the CCTS because, in some cases, the consumer may inadvertently cause billing discrepancies. For example, a mobile application could run in the background, constantly checking for updates, or a phone may download data by mistake while open in a bag or pocket. Maker said some consumers also tether their computers to their phones for mobile Internet access, but computers use significantly more data than wireless devices, which can quickly raise phone data charges. Another possibility is that consumer accounts are hacked into through WiFi connections, but Maker said it’s not one of the more frequently encountered scenarios. In early January, the Montreal Gazette reported that a university student and customer of Videotron Ltd. had amassed $1,800 in data charges because someone had hacked into her password-protected wireless network. Patrick Connolly, president of UTR Global, a billing verification company specializing in phone and Internet bills, said in an interview that inefficiencies in mobile networks can also distort data usage reports. “People will think that they used under 4 MB, but they find that they're billed four plus two,” he said. “This happens routinely.” But Connolly said most people select plans with higher data caps than what they use, so that the network inefficiencies go unnoticed. Connolly said that, rather than performing an analysis of data use, providers are more likely to give customers a courtesy credit when they call to report over-billing. Consumers who believe they are being overcharged for data can also use third-party apps that measure data consumption to provide supporting evidence for their arguments. But Maker said the apps should be used more for education than indisputable proof, as telcos are more likely to rely on their own measurement systems. Rogers spokeswoman Patricia Trott said by email that the company is confident in the accuracy of its billing systems and conducts audits to monitor them. “If customers have questions, they can contact us, and we have a process in place to confirm the accuracy of their statements,” she said. Bell and Telus Corp. were not available for comment early this week. John Lawford, counsel with consumer group the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC), said a government agency could measure data use the way it measures gas under the newly passed Fairness at the Pumps Act. “I think the CRTC should perform the same role as Measurement Canada. If they're going to let them charge whatever, then at least it has to be accurate,” he said. “It's basic consumer protection.” On March 3, the Senate passed the Fairness at the Pumps Act, which seeks to protect consumers from inaccurate measurements when purchasing gasoline or other measured goods. Under the act, gas pumps and retail food scales must be inspected by Measurement Canada representatives at regular intervals. Fines for breaking the law reach as high as $50,000 for repeat offences. Measurement Canada is an agency within Industry Canada that is responsible for ensuring the integrity and accuracy of measurements in the marketplace. Michel Cimpaye, a spokesman for Industry Canada, said by email that Measurement Canada is solely responsible for the Weights and Measurements Act and regulations, which do not specify bandwidth measurement devices. “As such, Measurement Canada does not regulate Internet usage measurement accuracy,” he said. But Lawford said that the Weights and Measurements Act could be amended to include bandwidth. A CRTC official said the commission cannot test the accuracy of data measurement by telcos because Internet access is an unregulated service. kfournier@thewirereport.ca

Data measurement audits would help telcos improve image: CCTS

News | March 11, 2011

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